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Moving upward

State’s oil & gas production continues to climb

Eloise Ogden/MDN The production of oil and natural gas in North Dakota continues its upward climb, according to the most recent report from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.

BISMARCK – North Dakota’s oil and gas production along with the number of producing wells again reached new all-time highs, according to the most recent report from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.

The Mineral Resources Department released the figures on Friday.

The state pumped out 1.359 million barrels of oil a day in September compared to 1.292 million barrels of oil a day in August.

This comes to 1.300 million barrels a day or 96 percent from Bakken and Three Forks wells and 58,595 barrels a day or 4 percent from legacy conventional pools, according to Lynn Helms, director of the N.D. Department of Mineral Resources. Bakken and Three Forks refers to the formations with the oil.

Natural gas production in the state reached 2.532 billion cubic feet a day in September. In August the state produced 2.443 MCF a day of natural gas.

The preliminary new all-time high for producing wells was 15,287 in September. This is 13,262 wells or 87 percent now unconventional Bakken-Three Forks wells and 2,025 wells or 13 percent produced from legacy conventional pools.

On Friday, the N.D. sweet crude price was $38.75 a barrel, according to Flint Hills Resources.

Also on Friday, 62 rigs were actively drilling in the oil patch, Helms said in his report. The all-time high was 218 on May 29, 2012.

Activity on the Fort Berthold Reservation includes 15 rigs actively drilling, 290,524 barrels of oil a day produced, 1,962 active wells and 154 wells waiting on completion, Helms said. He said 420 drilling permits have been approved for the reservation. The reservation has a potential of 3,618 potential future wells, he also said.

Three rigs are actively drilling on federal surface in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, Helms reported.

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