How Long Will Driling Continue In The Bakken? An Update From Earlier Today -- A Reader Weighs In -- September 30, 2019

Earlier today I asked the question, how long might drilling in the Bakken go on? The discussion continues

Remember those "picture puzzles" when you were in elementary school: two pictures side-by-side and one had to spot the six differences? One of my readers was obviously very, very good at this.

This was his note regarding ND Pipeline Authority presentations I mentioned earlier today:

If you glance at pages 55/56 from the August, 2018 presentation, then compare the-near-identical graphics from the most recent (September, 2019) presentation pages 10, 11, and 13, something ... interesting ... has been added.

Before the reader's denouement, here are the slides in question:

From the August 30, 2018 presentation (a year ago):

From the September 19, 2019 presentation (just a couple of weeks ago):

The reader noticed this:

The newer work mentions but specifically excludes new technologies as well as EOR. These guys are aware of what is coming down the pike.

100 years production from the Bakken would be my reasonable guess. 

Here it is, same slide, with an oval around the additional verbiage:

 
By the way, years ago, during the boom, my own estimate was that the Bakken would be producing through 2100, although I had expected that new drilling would have ended well before then, although re-fracking would be ongoing.

So there are two end-dates to consider:

• the date the last Bakken well is drilled
• the date the last Bakken well is permanently shut-in