Eloise Ogden/MDN The latest numbers for oil and natural gas production in North Dakota show a slight decline, but those numbers are expected to rise again.

BISMARCK – Oil and natural gas production in North Dakota declined slightly in June, according to the ND Department of Mineral Resources.

The June figures released on Thursday are the most recent available.

In June, the state produced 1,175,567 barrels of oil per day and in May, 1,198,086 barrels of oil per day. The all-time high was 1,519,037 barrels of oil per day in November 2019.

Mark Bohrer, deputy director of the Division of Mineral Resources, said the number of barrels of oil produced in June was down about 2%. He said that was not that surprising, as 121 fewer wells produced in June than in May and the number of completions was down slightly. He said the good news is that it looks like completions will increase in July, which will have a positive impact on production numbers.

Bohrer said natural gas production fell by about 1 percent.

In June, the state produced 3,472,710 MCF per day of natural gas and in May, 3,510,141 MCF per day. The all-time high was 3,582,821 MCF per day in December 2023.

On Thursday, North Dakota light crude oil was priced at $64.75 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $77.87 a barrel. The all-time high was reached in June 2008, when North Dakota light crude oil was priced at $125.62 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $134.02 a barrel.

In July, 107 wells were approved and in June 78. The previous high was 370 approved wells in October 2012.

There were 37 rigs active in North Dakota on Thursday, one of which was drilling on federal land. The previous high was 218 rigs drilling in ND on May 29, 2012.

In June, 372 wells were waiting to be completed.

In June, 18,973 wells (preliminary figure) were in production. Of these, 16,891 wells or 89% are unconventional Bakken/Three Forks wells and 2,082 wells or 11% are from conventional legacy basins. The previous high was 19,094 producing wells in May of this year.

The Fort Berthold Reservation produced 196,135 barrels of oil per day in June. Three drilling rigs were active and 2,942 wells were drilled on the reservation. Ten wells were awaiting completion and 121 drilling permits were issued.

According to the Department of Mineral Resources, rig counts remain low due to mergers and acquisitions, but are expected to return to the mid-40s and gradually increase over the next two years.

Drilling is expected to increase slightly and operators continue to maintain a permit backlog of approximately 12 months.