BISMARCK – North Dakota oil production fell 2.5 percent in December to 1.15 million barrels per day, according to preliminary numbers released Wednesday.
The Department of Mineral Resources said low oil prices are the main reason for the continued slowdown, which is now anticipated to last until at least the third quarter of 2016, Director Lynn Helms wrote in his monthly update.
Drilling permit activity, which declined from November to December, fell even further in January as operators position themselves for continued low prices, Helms wrote.
The number of drilling rigs operating in North Dakota was 41 on Wednesday, the lowest since July 2009.
Natural gas production held steady in December at an average of 1.67 billion cubic feet per day, the preliminary figures show.
The percentage of natural gas flared in December was 15 percent, down 1 percentage point from November.
The number of wells that were drilled but waiting on fracking crews was estimated to be 945 at the end of December, a decrease of 24 since November.
