WILLISTON, N.D. – North Dakota oil production rose 1.1 percent in March to just under 1.2 million barrels per day, the Department of Mineral Resources said today.
Producers completed significantly more wells in March than the previous month, but low oil prices continue to drive a slowdown in the Bakken oilfields, Director Lynn Helms wrote in his monthly update.
The number of drilling rigs operating in North Dakota today is 83, the lowest since January 2010.
At the end of March, an estimated 880 wells had been drilled but waiting on fracking crews, according to preliminary numbers. That’s a decrease of 20 from February.
Operators completed an estimated 189 new wells in March, up sharply from the 42 completed in February. To maintain oil production near 1.2 million barrels per day, operators need to complete 110 to 120 wells each month, the department says.
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The percent of natural gas flared in March was unchanged at 19 percent.
