As the nation’s third highest oil producing state, North Dakota reported this past week a drop in both oil and natural gas production from May to June.
The production numbers for June are the most current and were released by the North Dakota State Industrial Commission. The report showed production came from 19,094 wells in May and dropped to 18,973 wells in June.
Oil production totaled 37,140,657 barrels of oil for May and fell to 35,267,022 barrels for June. Natural gas production also dropped from 108,814,366 Mcf for May down to 104,181,310 Mcf a month later.
Oklahoma City’s Continental Resources, founded and still run by billionaire Harold Hamm, had a significant contribution. He amassed his fortune with development of wells throughout the Bakken play and the latest production report, the company has more than 2,000 wells in production at various sites across North Dakota.
For instance in the Alkali Creek-Bakken oil field east of Williston, Continental Resources has 65 wells. The company has another 49 in the Antelope-Sanish oil field, and 146 wells in the Banks-Bakken oil field. All total, Continental has 2,010 wells in production in the State.
But as of late 2023, there were signs the Bakken shale field, at one time the largest and busiest American shale patch before the arrival of the Permian Basin, was showing its age. Oil production was on a slight downward trend while the patch was producing more natural gas.