Rigs moving away from Bakken’s core, but gas production still hits new high
By Renée Jean rjean@willistonherald.com
Rigs have expanded their footprint to a wider area of the Bakken, and the trend is already showing up in the changing ratio of oil and gas numbers.
Crude oil production went up 3.5 percent from July to August to 1.084 million barrels per day, while gas production went up 2.5 percent to 1.943 million cubic feet per day for the same period, according to October’s statewide oil production report. The latter is a new high for gas production — but the shifting ratio was what interested North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms more.
“That is the first time in a while that oil has increased more than natural gas,” he said. “Any time the numbers are out of sync, it means something is happening. It means you should dig a little deeper.”