Natural gas production in North Dakota has more than doubled since 2005, largely due to associated natural gas from the growing oil production in the Bakken shale formation. Gas production averaged more than 485 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) in September 2011, compared to the 2005 average of about 160 MMcfd. However, due to insufficient natural gas pipeline capacity and processing facilities in the Bakken shale region, more than 35% of North Dakota’s natural gas production so far in 2011 has been flared or otherwise not marketed, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
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| North Dakota gas production: marketed, not marketed, and percentage not marketed. Source: EIA. Click to enlarge. |
(It is generally better to flare natural gas than just to vent it into the atmosphere because natural gas—methane—is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.)
The percentage of flared gas in North Dakota is considerably higher than the national average; in 2009, less than 1% of natural gas produced in the United States was vented or flared.
North Dakota natural gas production from the Bakken shale, which is situated in the northwest portion of the State, increased more than 20-fold from 2007 to 2010, and the number of wells producing natural gas increased 7-fold.