North Dakota's oil production fell in September due to heavy precipitation, according to Lynn Helms, the state's top oil and natural gas regulator. Oil output in the state slid by about 37,000 bpd from a record-high average in August to 1.44 million bpd in September.
Helms said two weeks of continuous rain in September shut as much as 84,000 bpd production in September. The rain also caused road closures, while preventing well completions and repairs as well as pipeline construction. Oil production in North Dakota is expected to climb to record highs into 2020.
The state's gas production also fell from about 3.01 Bcfd in August to roughly 2.95 Bcfd in September. Gas flaring rate reached 17% in September, down from 19% in the previous month, according to the pipeline authority.
According to North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources, the state approved 127 well drillings in August, 92 in September, and 126 in October. North Dakota's rig count fell to 49 in October, from 62 and 61 in August and September, respectively.
