WATFORD CITY, N.D. – Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford today joined officials to celebrate the completion of the Oasis Wild Basin II natural gas processing plant near Watford City, stressing the need for additional gas capture infrastructure to support continued growth in North Dakota’s energy sector.
The new facility commissioned by Oasis Midstream Partners will have the capacity to process 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, adding to the company’s existing Wild Basin plant’s capacity of 120 million cubic feet per day. The new plant alone represents about 10 percent of North Dakota’s natural gas processing capacity and is the first major gas processing plant built in the state in recent years. Plant operations are expected to begin in November.
“This new facility and several other natural gas processing plants under construction in North Dakota will greatly expand our state’s capacity for oil and gas production while also supporting additional gas capture to reduce flaring,” Sanford said, noting the 15,000 oil and gas wells in the Bakken today is projected to grow to more than 60,000 wells in 15 to 17 years. “We’re grateful to Oasis Midstream Partners for its significant investment in North Dakota, and we look forward to additional investment like this to grow our state’s production capabilities and increase America’s energy independence.”
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms also reported today that the state set records in August for both oil and gas production for the second consecutive month. Oil production increased to 1.29 million barrels per day, or about 22,000 barrels per day higher than July production, while natural gas production increased by about 44 million cubic feet per day to a record 2.437 billion cubic feet per day.