North Dakota's August Crude Oil Production Rises to 1.161 Million Barrels per Day

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 20, the North Dakota Industrial Commission released oil production data for August 2026, showing that the state's average daily crude oil production reached 1.161 million barrels, an increase of approximately 3,000 barrels from July. Among this, the Bakken and Three Forks formations produced 1.133 million barrels per day, accounting for about 97.6% of the state's total output. The data comes from monthly production statistics published by state regulators.

Operational data released by the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources for the same period shows that the state had 20,177 producing oil wells in August, a record high and an increase of 105 wells from July. Richard Suggs, an official with the state's Oil and Gas Division, said operators have accelerated the completion and commissioning of drilled wells, cutting the time from drilling to production by about half compared with the beginning of the year.

As of October 20, the state had 36 active drilling rigs, up from 34 in September, along with 8 hydraulic fracturing crews. Price data published by the North Dakota Pipeline Authority shows that in July, the state's crude oil sold to U.S. West Coast refineries at about $93.51 per barrel and to the East Coast at about $88.27 per barrel.