North Dakota Gas

Fracking Backlog in North Dakota

Even though oil production from North Dakota’s Bakken Formation has propelled the state to new production records there is still a backlog of wells to be fracked.

More at Bloomberg.

North Dakota Oil Production Rising

Rising production from the Bakken Shale has propelled North Dakota up to the fourth largest oil producing state behind Texas, Alaska and California.

More at Energy Information Administration.

1/3 of Bakken Gas is Flared

The Energy Information Administration reports that about 1/3 of the natural gas produced from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota is flared instead of marketed because natural gas pipelines are not present in the production area or they can not accept…

More at Energy Information Administration.

North Dakota: Record Oil Production

There is still more than one month remaining in 2011, but oil production in North Dakota has broken the annual record set in 2010. The state is on-target to produce about 150 million barrels.

More at FuelFix.com.

Hiring Boom in North Dakota

Thousands of high-paying new jobs are unfilled in North Dakota where natural gas and oil are being produced from the Bakken Formation, the Niobrara Shale and other rock units.

More at MSNBC.

How Much Oil is in the Bakken?

Although the United States Geological Survey estimates that the Bakken Formation beneath parts of North Dakota, Montana and Canada might contain over 4 billion barrels of oil, Harold Hamm, believes that it might contain up to 24 billion barrels.

More at Wall Street Journal.

Flaring Natural Gas in North Dakota

When natural gas is present in a well and no pipeline is available to move it to market or storage that gas has traditionally been flared. This practice causes concerns related to greenhouse gas production and waste.

More at New York Times.

Flaring Natural Gas in North Dakota

When natural gas is present in a well and no pipeline is available to move it to market or storage that gas has traditionally been flared. This practice causes concerns related to greenhouse gas production and waste.

More at New York Times.

Bakken Shale Oil Report from EPRINC

The Energy Policy Research Foundation has released a report titled: The Bakken Boom: An Introduction to North Dakota’s Shale Oil. Oil production from the Bakken could surpass 700,000 barrels per day within the next few years.

Brine Contamination Associated with Oil and Gas Production in the Williston Basin

“U.S. Geological Survey scientists and cooperating partners are examining the potential risk to aquatic resources by contamination from saline waters produced by petroleum development in the Williston Basin of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.” Quoted from the USGS publication release.

Bakken Formation Oil and Gas Reassessment

In the past three years oil and natural gas production from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Montana has increased dramatically causing the United States Geological Survey to launch an update of its last assessment that was completed just three years ago. More at UPI.com.

Small, Successful Operators in the Bakken/Three Forks Are Take-Over Targets

According to a brief article in the Oil and Gas Journal, small successful operators in the Bakken Shale / Three Forks Shale play might be prime take-over targets.

How Much Oil is in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations?

Diverging estimates by three different organizations with significant expertise in oil and natural gas assessments leave one wondering how much oil really is in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations? Read the details on the Trib.com website.

Here are the estimates….
USGS…. 4.3 billion barrels
North Dakota Geological Survey…. 11 billion barrels
Continental Resources…. 20 billion barrels

North Dakota Oil Production May Surpass Alaska

Oil production in North Dakota has been rising rapidly over the past few years, driven by the success of the Bakken Shale. A “Chart of the Day” article on the Bloomberg.com website forecasts that the crude output of North Dakota is likely to surpass that of Alaska within the next couple of years.

Hess Corporation to Buy 167,000 Acres of Bakken Shale

Hess Corporation has agreed to purchase 167,000 acres of North Dakota Bakken Shale properties from TRZ Energy at a cost of $1.05 billion. That’s about $6300/acre. More at MarketWatch.

Williams to buy 85,000 Acres of Bakken Shale and Three Forks

Williams Exploration and Production is buying over 85,000 acres of land over the Bakken Shale and Upper Three Forks Formation. This follows their recent purchase of 100,000 acres of Marcellus Shale properties. More at TradingMarkets.com.

Marathon to Focus on Woodford Shale

Marathon Oil Corporation intends to move its attention from the Bakken Shale of North Dakota to the Woodford Shale of Oklahoma. They believe that the drilling the Woodford provides a better return. More at Reuters.

Bakken, Three Forks-Sanish Break North Dakota Records

North Dakota should set an all time record for oil production this year and account for more than 6% of total US crude production. Ninety-Five percent of the State’s drilling activity is in the Bakken Shale and the Three Forks-Sanish Formation. More at the StarTribune.com website.

Bakken Formation Geochemical Maps

The North Dakota Geological Survey has a series of maps showing organic geochemical patterns in the Bakken Formation of North Dakota.

Data presented includes: well locations, structural contour, total organic carbon, hydrogen index, oil index and more. View maps.

Oil from the Niobrara Shale: Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming

An article on the CNBC website reports that companies are working hard to get Niobrara Shale acres under lease in parts of Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. They believe that horizontal drilling in the Niobrara will yield a bonanza of oil similar to the Bakken Shale of North Dakota.

Big Bakken Yields in Dunn County

The Oil and Gas Journal reports on a Bakken formation well that tested over 2000 barrels of oil per day and 3.7 million cubic feet per day of natural gas.

The Impact of Shale Gas on Economies and Energy Use

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about how the recent natural gas shale discoveries are going to change geopolitics, economies and how energy is used.

North Dakota Needs Pipelines

North Dakota has seen such an increase in natural gas and oil production – mainly from shales – that they don’t have the pipeline capacity to get it all to market. An article at BusinessWeek.com explores new pipeline projects for the state.

North Dakota Drilling and Production Records

North Dakota now has a record number of active oil and gas wells and is producing record volumes of oil and gas each day. The state will probably displace California as the #3 state for oil production. More in the Washington Post.