Eloise Ogden/MDN The production of oil in North Dakota showed a slight uptick from October to November, according to the most recent numbers available.

BISMARCK — Oil production in North Dakota increased 4.4% in November, the most recent numbers available.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources reported on Friday the state produced 1,159,778 barrels of oil a day or 34,793,353 barrels in November. In October, the state produced 1,110,910 barrels of oil a day or 34,438,214 barrels.

On Friday, the price of North Dakota Light Sweet was $74.25 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was $82.12 a barrel.

The state’s natural gas production in November was 92,169,175 MCF or 3,072,306 MCF a day, a 2.4% increase. In October, natural gas production was 92,977,713 MCF or 2,822,914 MCF a day.

The gas capture percentage in November and October was 94%.

The historical high flared percent was 36% in September 2011, according to Lynn Helms, director of the Mineral Resources Department.

On Friday, 32 rigs were actively working in the oil field.

There were 416 wells waiting on completion in November.

Fort Berthold Reservation produced 251,997 barrels of oil a day in November. Four rigs were actively drilling on the reservation and 2,621 wells were active.

There is currently no seismic activity in North Dakota for oil and gas, Helms said.

He said the drilling rig count fell 40% from January 2020 to November 2021, but is slowly increasing.

Helms said the number of well completions has been low and volatile since the second quarter of 2020 as the number of active completion crews dropped from 25 to one, then increased to eight this week.

He said OPEC+ continues to phase out oil production cuts by the end of the third quarter of 2022.

“Coordinated increases in oil supply from the group known as OPEC+ began in September 2021. At their January 2022 meeting OPEC+ decided to stick with their plan to increase production 400,000 barrels per day each month going forward. The International Energy Agency estimates a tight market despite the gradual OPEC supply boost,” Helms said.

Helms also said U.S. natural gas storage is now 2.4% above the five-year average. He said crude oil inventories are far below normal in the U.S., but world storage remains in the upper range of the five-year average.