Wildfires that began over the weekend have shut in oil and gas production in some of the most productive Bakken areas in North Dakota. Burn scars (see map below) have been identified for the Ray-Tioga, Elkhorn and Bear Den fires.
As of Wednesday, 70-100 Mb/d of crude oil and 0.21-0.30 Bcf/d of gas production have been suspended in the state, according to Justin J. Kringstad, director for the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. The blazes are being fueled by dry conditions and strong winds.
Extreme blizzard conditions wreaked havoc on North Dakota energy infrastructure last weekend, taking offline as much as 60% of the state’s crude oil production and more than 80% of natural gas output, and leaving utility poles and power lines strewn across the landscape. On the gas side, the unprecedented supply loss is having a never-before-seen impact on regional and upstream flows and storage activity. It is also compounding maintenance-related production declines in other basins, leaving Lower 48 natural gas output at its lowest since early February. Moreover, the extent of the storm-related damage to local infrastructure could prolong the supply recovery. In today’s RBN blog, we break down the aftereffects of the offseason winter storm on regional gas market fundamentals.
Crude oil and natural gas production in the Bakken are at record highs, and with the surge in production has come infrastructure constraints and higher rates of flared gas, renewing concerns about possible production shut-ins. As gas production volumes exceeded gas processing capacity, the flaring rate in April 2018 rose to 15% of total monthly volumes –– precisely the current limit set by North Dakota’s gas capture plan and three percentage points above the 12% cap due to kick in this November. Rig counts, producers’ drilling plans and $70/bbl crude oil prices all point to further production growth, which means that without additional processing capacity — or a change in the gas-capture policy — it will be increasingly difficult for producers and processors to comply. Today, we look at the latest developments in Bakken gas production, gas-related infrastructure and the gas capture policy.
Crude oil producers in the Bakken region responded to the oil price collapse with drilling cutbacks and a laser-like focus on sweet-spot areas with high initial production rates. It turns out those oil sweet spots also produce a lot of associated natural gas. But there’s not enough infrastructure in place to deal with the extra gas, and that’s slowing North Dakota’s efforts to reduce flaring (burning gas that can’t be utilized for various reasons). Today, we consider the multiple, domino-like effects that low oil prices are having on one of the U.S.’s most important tight oil plays.
