Natural gas in North Dakota: flaring, gas capture and the new pipelines to move it

North Dakota produced 3.633 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in August 2026 and captured 95.8% of it, flaring about 155 million cubic feet a day (ND DMR). Gas output keeps rising faster than oil, so new takeaway matters: Bakken xPress is built but not yet flowing south, Bakken East reached a final investment decision on September 30, 2026, and the Intensity line is proceeding with phase one.

For most of the Bakken's history, the story was oil. Natural gas was the byproduct: it came out of the same wells, it had to go somewhere, and when pipelines and processing plants could not keep up, it went into a flare. In the early 2010s flaring rates were far higher than today, and the night sky over McKenzie and Mountrail counties was famous for it.

That picture has changed. The state now captures about 96% of the gas it produces, and the conversation has shifted from "how do we stop burning it" to "how do we move and use all of it." The reason is simple: the Bakken is getting gassier. Every year a larger share of what comes out of a typical well is natural gas, and statewide gas production keeps setting records even when oil output is flat.

In our overview of new Bakken projects we named natural gas takeaway as one of the themes that will shape North Dakota through 2030, and we covered the largest single project in depth in Bakken East pipeline explained. This article steps back and looks at the whole gas system: production, flaring rules, where the gas goes today, and the three pipeline projects that change the map.

How much natural gas does North Dakota produce?

About 3.6 billion cubic feet per day. The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) reported in its October 20, 2026 Director's Cut that gas production was 3.633 Bcf/d in August 2026, or 112.6 Bcf for the month, up from 3.622 Bcf/d in July. In August, the Pipeline Authority's Justin Kringstad had called June's 3.58 Bcf/d "a new record for natural gas production in North Dakota" (Minot Daily News, August 25, 2026), and the July and August figures were higher still.

Oil production rose much more slowly over the same period: 1,158,660 barrels per day in July and 1,161,427 bbl/d in August, an increase of 0.24% (ND DMR). That gap is the key trend in the basin.

Why is the Bakken getting gassier?

Two reasons, both structural. First, wells produce a higher share of gas as they age and reservoir pressure falls, and North Dakota now has more than 20,000 producing wells, many of them years into their decline. Second, as the best core acreage is drilled out, operators are moving into areas that are naturally gassier. NGI reported in 2024 that the state's gas-to-oil ratio had hit a record as producers moved into "second- and third-tier" Bakken areas, and in September 2025 it reported a new high of 3.03 Mcf per barrel for July 2025, with Kringstad expecting GORs to keep rising "for many more years to come."

Using DMR's August 2026 figures, the implied statewide ratio is now about 3.13 Mcf per barrel. That is our own arithmetic (3.633 Bcf/d divided by 1.161 million bbl/d), not an official DMR statistic, but it points the same way: each new barrel of Bakken oil now arrives with more gas attached than the barrel before it.

The practical consequence is that oil growth in North Dakota now depends on gas infrastructure. As Gov. Kelly Armstrong put it when the Industrial Commission backed Bakken East in 2025: "If we can't move our gas, we can't increase oil production or maintain oil production" (North Dakota Monitor, August 21, 2025).

How much gas is still flared in North Dakota?

About 155 million cubic feet per day. The DMR reported statewide flaring of 155.4 MMcf/d in August 2026, down 17.9 MMcf/d from July, with statewide capture of 95.8% and Bakken capture of 96.1%. In June 2026, flaring was 162.5 MMcf/d and capture about 95.5% (Minot Daily News). Prairie Public, reporting on the same October briefing, rounded capture to 96%.

Put in perspective, 155 MMcf/d is roughly 4% of production. It is a small share, but it is not a small volume: it is about half the capacity of the entire Bakken xPress project. The goal is not zero in the short term; it is to keep capture high while total production grows.

What are North Dakota's flaring rules?

The framework is the North Dakota Industrial Commission's Order No. 24665, adopted March 3, 2014 and effective June 25, 2014 (U.S. Department of Energy summary). Its main tools are:

• Gas capture plans. Operators file a plan with each drilling permit application showing the gathering system and processing plant the well will connect to, the expected flowback rate and duration, current system capacity and a timeline for connection, with an affidavit that the midstream company received the plan.
• Capture goals. The goals stepped up over time; the current goal is 91% capture, in place since November 1, 2020 (ND DMR). Statewide performance has been above that goal throughout 2026.
• Flexibility added in 2018. The April 2018 amendments let operators outside the core accumulate capture credits over six months, gave credit for gas used in state for equipment and facilities, and let companies that meet targets skip the capture plan. The November 2018 changes shifted the policy from cutting flared volume to increasing captured volume and added a goal of encouraging investment.
• No venting. Venting is banned: casinghead gas that is not captured must be burned in a working flare.

Rules are only half of it. The other half is commercial pressure. Kringstad told the 2026 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference: "Today's producers will not allow flaring to ramp up to the levels it was years ago," adding that if producers lack a solution, they may shift capital elsewhere (KFYR, May 21, 2026). In other words, if gas cannot move, drilling slows rather than flaring rising.

Where does Bakken natural gas go today?

Most of it leaves the state. After processing, the dry gas (mostly methane) moves on interstate pipelines and the natural gas liquids are shipped separately. According to Kringstad's estimates reported by NGI in September 2025:

• Chicago and the Midwest: about 80–85% of Bakken volumes.
• Local use in North Dakota and eastern Montana: about 5–10%.
• The Rocky Mountain region: about 5%.

The main routes are Northern Border, which carries dry gas to the Midwest and in recent months has carried mostly Bakken gas (about 85% of its volumes, with the rest from Canada), and Alliance, which carries liquids-rich gas to the Chicago area. WBI Energy's system serves in-state and regional demand. Kringstad has said he is "still forecasting congestion" on Northern Border over the long term (NGI, September 2025).

The heavy reliance on Midwest routes is why the next wave of projects matters. Bakken xPress adds a path south to the Rockies, and Bakken East and the Intensity line would, for the first time, build large-scale pipe to move Bakken gas east across North Dakota itself, toward power plants, industrial users and data centers.

What is Bakken xPress, and why isn't it flowing yet?

Bakken xPress is a joint TC Energy and Kinder Morgan project to send about 300,000 dekatherms per day (roughly 300 million cubic feet per day) of Bakken gas south to the Cheyenne hub in the Rockies. It has two parts that are often named separately:

• Bison XPress (TC Energy's Northern Border Pipeline Company): upgrades three Northern Border compressor stations and reverses the idled 302-mile, 30-inch Bison pipeline, originally built to carry Powder River Basin gas east. FERC certificated it in October 2024 and construction started in April 2025. The work included two 31,900-horsepower gas-fired turbine compressors at the Manning compressor station in Dunn County.
• Bakken Xpress on the Kinder Morgan side: Wyoming Interstate Co. (WIC) leases the capacity on Northern Border, Bison and Fort Union Gas Gathering to move gas to Cheyenne. Hess and ONEOK Rockies Midstream signed as shippers in the 2023 open season (NGI, October 2024).

The North Dakota Pipeline Authority puts the total cost at about $555 million and the original target in-service date at May 2026. On paper, the project is largely done: TC Energy said on its second-quarter 2026 earnings call that Northern Border construction was complete and placed in service, adding 300 MMcf/d of Bakken egress capacity. In practice, East Daley Analytics reported on August 28, 2026 that the Bison pipeline had not yet flowed any southbound volumes. WIC said in a May 18 filing that it had not accepted the leased capacity because Bison is not authorized to deliver gas into the Fort Union system, so the seamless path across all three systems is not complete. DMR's October 20, 2026 Director's Cut still marks the May 2026 in-service date as delayed.

This is the project behind the search phrase "Bakken xPress." Its status, as of late October 2026, is best described as built, but awaiting regulatory and commercial resolution before full flows. When it does flow, it will be the first new long-haul outlet for Bakken gas in years, and it arrives at a time of record production.

What will Bakken East and the Intensity pipeline add?

Both projects aim to do something new: move large volumes of Bakken gas east across North Dakota, rather than out of state, to serve power generation, industry and communities along the route.

Bakken East is the state-backed project. The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted in August 2025 to support it with a 10-year firm capacity commitment of about $50 million per year, up to $500 million in total, with the plan to transfer that capacity to private shippers over time (North Dakota Monitor). A binding open season in early 2026 drew about 1.4 Bcf/d of interest (Pipeline & Gas Journal, May 2026), and MDU's board approved the final investment decision on September 30, 2026. The plan calls for four new compressor stations and changes at three existing ones. We cover the route, landowner questions and timeline in our Bakken East explainer.

The Intensity line is the privately backed alternative. Intensity Infrastructure Partners and Rainbow Energy Center, owner of Coal Creek Station near Underwood, said in January 2026 that they would proceed with phase one based on binding commitments. The line would take gas from Northern Border, WBI's system and six Bakken processing plants, and uncommitted capacity is intended for new gas-fired power along the route and at Coal Creek (Offshore Technology via Yahoo Finance, January 7, 2026). Cost and shippers have not been disclosed.

If both are built as planned, North Dakota would add well over 2 Bcf/d of new in-state pipeline capacity by 2030, on top of Bakken xPress. That is a large number relative to today's 3.6 Bcf/d of production, which is why these projects are also being pitched as the backbone for new power plants and data centers in central and eastern North Dakota.

What else is being done with Bakken gas?

Pipelines are not the only outlet. Three other uses are growing:

• Enhanced oil recovery. Phase one of Crack the Code 2.0 uses produced gas from existing operations as the injectant in its pilots, because large CO2 supplies will take years. Gas reinjected for EOR is gas that is neither flared nor shipped.
• Power generation. The Intensity project explicitly plans to use uncommitted capacity for gas-fired power at Coal Creek and along its route, and MDU cites data center growth in its service territory as part of long-term demand for Bakken East (Pipeline & Gas Journal, May 2026).
• Power at the wellhead. Some operators route gas that would otherwise be flared to on-site generators. Energies Media (October 26, 2026) described one company running mobile data centers on Bakken flare gas at well pads. These are small volumes relative to statewide production, but they show the economics: gas worth little at a constrained wellhead can be worth more as electricity on site.

Pricing is part of the backdrop. There is no liquid Bakken-specific gas price index; producers often cite Northern Border Ventura as a proxy (NGI). When regional pipelines are full, that price can be weak, which strengthens the case for both new pipe and local uses.

What does this mean for oilfield service and construction companies?

Gas infrastructure creates a different kind of demand from drilling. Based on the projects above, the work falls into a few categories:

• Compression and gas handling. Field compression, station upgrades and new compressor stations (Bakken East alone plans four new stations). This is high-pressure equipment where seals, gaskets, flanges and specialized parts matter, the niche our team knows from Raptor Supply and Raptor Gaskets.
• Pipeline construction. Hundreds of miles of large-diameter pipe need pipe yards, laydown areas, access roads and backfill, which drives demand for rock, sand, gravel and scoria, the business of Kota.
• Water. New pipelines are typically pressure-tested with water before service, and construction camps and yards need water handling. Water transfer and sourcing is the work we did through Bullrock Water.
• Waste and fluids. Facility construction, pigging and well work generate fluids and solids that need compliant disposal, the field Bullrock operated in.
• Gathering and processing. More gas per barrel means more gathering, more processing capacity and more NGL handling in the field, even before the big pipelines arrive.

The overlap of Bakken East and the Intensity line in 2028–2030 is the planning issue for contractors: two major projects in the same state, in the same construction seasons, drawing on the same labor pool and supply chain.

Who should pay attention to North Dakota's gas buildout?

Operators and producers

Gas takeaway now shapes drilling plans. Rising gas-to-oil ratios mean new wells need confirmed gathering and processing capacity before they come online. Watch Bakken xPress flows, the Bakken East and Intensity construction schedules, and capacity on Northern Border and Alliance when planning 2027–2030 programs.

Landowners and mineral owners

Gas that is captured and sold can generate royalty income; gas that is flared generally does not produce the same value. Landowners along the Bakken East and Intensity routes will see survey requests, easement negotiations and construction. This is general information, not legal advice; review leases, easement offers and surface agreements with independent counsel.

Service companies and contractors

Expect a shift toward compression, facilities and pipeline work, with two large in-state pipeline programs overlapping from 2028. Lead times for compressors and high-pressure equipment are already a constraint in the basin, so early positioning matters.

Developers, utilities and investors

New in-state gas supply is being marketed as the base for gas-fired power and data centers in central and eastern North Dakota. Developers should follow where uncommitted pipeline capacity and new power generation will be located. Nothing here is investment advice or an offer of any security.

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This article is general information about natural gas production, regulation and proposed and approved pipeline projects in North Dakota, based on the sources listed and current as of October 27, 2026. Production figures, project costs, capacities and timelines can change. It is not investment, legal, tax or financial advice, and nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security.