Bakken Pipeline Expected to Help North Dakota Production, Natural Gas Capture

Natural Gas Intelligence recently reported WBI Energy Inc. earlier this month received approval to build the North Bakken pipeline, which is expected to help accommodate the increase in natural gas production, reduce flaring in North Dakota, and strengthen the state’s pipeline network.

Currently, the pipeline has received approval for an expansion project that will commence in the coming weeks and finish by the year’s end. As each one is, this pipeline is crucial by the fact that it will be the saving grace of the region. The area north of Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota is particularly congested, referred to as a “choke point” for any additional gas capture. Once online, the pipeline will subsequently free up the area for additional gas capture investment and more residue gas takeaway.

 The article also highlights the desperate need for bolstered energy infrastructure, asserting that more investment will be needed to meet the state’s gas capture goals by 2023. Pipeline authority director, Justin Kringstad, highlighted that gas capture will continue to be a challenge:

 “We need to make sure connected wells have adequate capacity all the way from the wellhead to the processing plant,” he said. “It is going to be a continual challenge to stay on top of the gathering systems, making sure compression is adequate, and the pigging operations to clean liquids is timed appropriately.”

In countries like Vietnam and Japan, there is a drastic need for increased energy infrastructure. Our own American states are finding themselves in the same position of desolation. Catalysts such as the Bakken pipeline funnel resources into the lives of everyday Americans through bringing reliable, affordable energy, economic welfare, and environmental benefit.

With the finalized construction of the Bakken pipeline in North Dakota, we are taking one more step towards gaining our energy independence once more. Investment into projects such as the Bakken will prove to be fruitful on a micro and macro scale for decades to come.