August oil production in North Dakota was 1.5 million barrels per day.
That compares with July’s 1.6 million barrels per day.
"We're down just a little bit," said state Mineral Resources director Nathan Anderson. "But we are .03 percent above the revenue forecast."
In his monthly "Director's Cut" briefing, Anderson said the statewide natural gas production is at 3.55 billion cubic feet per day, essentially the same as July’s production.
Anderson also said the current drilling rig count in North Dakota is at 28, very close to the last few months.
As for oil prices, Anderson says the price for North Dakota crude is just over $58 per barrel.
"That's just below the revenue forecast," Anderson said. "I wouldn't say that's anything alarming at this point."
The reports also show an uptick in oil moving out of the state by rail.
"We've gone from a pretty steady period of roughly two unit trains per day leaving the Williston Basin loaded," said State Pipeline director Justin Kringstad. "We're not quite at three, but probably north of two and a half unit trains of oil loaded per day. That's somewhere in that 180 to 190-thousand barrels per day."
Kringstad says that oil is headed toward the Pacific Northwest.
"They've got a very strong appetite for light sweet barrels," Kringstad said. "That Bakken barre works weil."
Kringstad said there is rail connectivity towards those facilities.
"I don't think we're going to see major shifts," Kringstad said. "It could grow. But at this time, it's been relatively steady now for several months, and that 180,000 barrel per day range."
