January 22, 2024 – Natural Gas Intelligence
Associated Natural Gas a Gift – and a Curse – for North Dakota Oil Producers
By Andrew Baker
In addition to causing issues during cold snaps, the high liquids content of Bakken gas means it has a high heat value in terms of Btu/cf of natural gas burned. That too may cause operational problems.
RBN Energy LLC’s Morgan Overman explained in a recent blog post that, “Because the Bakken residue gas flowing into NBPL has a much higher Btu content than the Canadian gas, the average Btu content on NBPL has increased, occasionally resulting in gas quality concerns for downstream markets and customers, including [local distribution companies] and power plants.” Overman noted that the average Btu level on NBPL has exceeded the 1,100 Btu/cf mark each month since September, “with the December average pushing 1,120 Btu/cf.”
In addition, North Dakota faces infrastructure constraints to handle the growing volumes of gas and natural gas liquids, particularly as gas-to-oil ratios rise in the Bakken.
Read the full article here: https://www.naturalgasintel.com/associated-natural-gas-a-gift-and-a-curse-for-north-dakota-oil-producers/
