December, 2019, Data -- Director's Cut Posted

See also, "comments and commentary."

See also, "managing their assets."

The Director's Cut

Data For November, 2019 

North Dakota Oil and Natural Gas Production

Disclaimer: usual disclaimer applies. As usual, this is done very, very quickly. It is not proofread. There will be factual and typographical errors on this page. If this is important to you, go to the source.

Link here to past reports.

A huge, huge "thank you" to Lynn Helms and his staff at the NDIC getting this information out in a timely and transparent manner. I am not aware of any other state that does such a good job providing such data. 

Crude oil production:

• December, 2019, preliminary: 1,475,685 bopd (all-time time was November, 2019)
• November, 2019, final:1,519,037 bopd -- new all-time high after final figures come in;
• revenue forecast: 1.4 million bopd
• October, 2019, final: 1,517,936 bopd -- previous all-time high
• September, 2019, final, 1,443,980 bopd -- very, very wet September that impacted oil fields
• August, 2019, final, 1,480,475 bopd (previous all-time high)
• July, 2019, final: 1,445,934 bopd (previous all-time high)
• June, 2019, final: 1,425,230 bopd (previous all-time high)
• month-over-month, bbls: -43,352 bopd  (December-November)
• month-over-month, percent: - 2.9%  (November-October) 

Gas production:

• December, 2019, preliminary: 3,059,835 MCF/day; 84% capture rate (improved, month-over-month)
• November, 2019, final: 3,165,585MCF/day; new all-time high on a per-day basis; all time on a monthly basis, October, 2019)
• 83% capture
• October, 2019, final: 3,070,616 MCF/day
• 81% capture
• September, 2019, final: 2,946,391 MCF/day (note -- fell below the 3-billion threshold previously reported)
• August , 2019, final: 3,014,419 MCF/day -- an all-time high
• July, 2019, final: 2,944,816 MCF/day
• June, 2019, final: 2,885,293 MCF/day

BOE, December, preliminary:

• December, preliminary
• natural gas: 3,059,835 MCF/day = 509,888 boe
• crude oil: 1,475,685 bopd
• total boe, preliminary for December, 2019: 1,985,573 boepd
• all-time high, November, 2019: 2,046,547 boepd

Producing wells:

• December, 2019, preliminary; 15,979
• November, 2019, final:16,110
• October, 2019, final: 16,169
• September, 2019, final: 16,115 (new all-time high)
• August, 2019, final: 15,964 (all-time high was 15,954, July 2019)
• July, 2019, final: 15,954 (another new all-time high)
• June, 2019, 15,752

Wells off-line:

• December, 2019, preliminary:
• inactive: 1920
• DUCs: 958
• total: 2,878
• November, 2019, final:
• inactive: 1,726
• DUCs: 919
• total: 2,645

Permitting:

• January, 2020: 62
• December, 2019: 67
• November, 2019: 79
• October, 2019: 126
• September, 2019: 92
• August, 2019: 127
• July, 2019: 141
• June, 2019: 127

Rig count:

• Today: 56 (all-time high was 218 on 5/29/12)
• December, 2019: 55
• November: 55
• October: 56
• September: 61
• August: 62
• July: 57
• June: 63

Fort Berthold Reservation data partitioned out.

Completions:

• December, 2019, preliminary: 111
• revenue forecast: 90
• November, 2019, final: 114
• October, 2019, final: 102
• September, 2019, final: 117 (revised up from 94) (revised a second time, up from 112)
• August, 2019, final: 102
• July, 2019, final: 137
• June, 2019, 102 (revised, last month's report); revised again, now, 123
• May, 2019, 113 (final)

 Gas capture:

• statewide, captured: 84% (83% reported last month)
• statewide, captured: 
• December, 2019: 2,555,585 MCF/day (preliminary)
• November, 2019: 2,594,922 MCF/day (new all-time high)
• October, 2019:  2,524,405 MCF/day
• September, 2019: 2,429,487 MCF/day
• previous all time high was May, 2019: 2,287,761 MCF/day
• FBIR Bakken:
• December, 2019: 81%
• November, 2019: 81%
  October, 2019, captured: 70% (was 79% in September)(75% reported two months ago, August, 2019)

Off line, to end of December 2019: 2,878 -- up significantly from November -- 2,645 in November; an increase of 233 or an 8.8% increase

• DUCs: 958 (up 39 from the 919 in November)
• inactive well count: 1,920 (up 194 from 1,726 in November)
• wells off line for operational reasons are tracked here;  
• if I recall correctly, December, 2019, was a fairly "mild" winter by North Dakota standards (roughnecks can let me know if I'm wrong)

A year, December, 2018, the "off-line well" data:

• 823, down 134 from last report -- huge decrease
• inactive: 1,509, up 128 from last report -- wow, look at that jump in the number of inactive wells 
• total: 2,332 (down slightly from 2,338 in the last report; but 2,332 wells is still way more than the total number of wells that will be drilled in North Dakota this year)