Eloise Ogden/MDN North Dakota oil production remains above a million barrels of oil a day, according to the newest report from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.

BISMARCK – North Dakota produced 1.108 million barrels of oil a day in March, a slight increase in production compared to the previous month when the state produced 1.083 million barrels of oil a day.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources announced the newest oil and gas production numbers on Friday. The numbers are normally about two months behind.

The price of crude oil on Friday was $57 for North Dakota light sweet and $63.82 for West Texas Intermediate.

The state’s natural gas production in March was 89,236,535 MCF or 2,878,598 MCF a day – higher than in February when the state produced 75,735,507 MCF or 2,704,840 MCF a day. The gas capture percentage in March was 94%.

Eighteen rigs were actively working in the oil field on Thursday.

The state had a preliminary number of 16,207 producing wells in March. There were 628 wells waiting on completion that month.

Fort Berthold Reservation produced 276,031 barrels of oil a day in March. Three rigs were actively drilling on the reservation and 2,542 wells were active. There were 89 wells waiting on completion.

Lynn Helms, director of the Mineral Resources Department, said the drilling rig count was stable in the mid-50s in the second half of 2019 through March 2020. He said drilling rig count fell 67% from January 2020 to March 2021.

The number of well completions has been low and volatile since March 2020 as the number of active completion crews dropped from 25 to 1, then increased to six in March and to nine on Friday, Helms said.

At its April 2021 meeting OPEC+ reached a general consensus to maintain $50-$60 West Texas Intermediate by raising output 350,000 barrels per day in May, another 350,000 barrels a day in June, and then 440,000 barrels per day in July, according to Helms.