November 2021

North Dakota's oil month in November 2021, from the public record.

Written on November 8, 2026, looking back. This issue was not published in November 2021. It is assembled now from today's public records, with what was known later, so that every month since January 2003 has an issue.

The month in numbers

Oil output1,162,700barrels a day4.6% above the month before · 5.3% below a year earlier

Wells reporting oil16,729plus 85 confidential wells whose volumes are withheld

Wells spudded70oil and gas wells, by spud date

Orders signed2127 spacing and 10 pooling actions

Crude price$74.14a barrel, first purchase$36.98 a year earlier

Flared share of reported gas5.8%

Oil output, January 2003 to August 2026; the dot marks November 2021.

What stood out

The operator of record changed from Equinor Energy LP to Grayson Mill Operating, LLC on 706 wells.
The operator of record changed from Bruin E&P Operating, LLC to Enerplus Resources USA Corporation on 473 wells.
The operator of record changed from Nine Point Energy, LLC to Bowline Energy LLC on 193 wells.
The operator of record changed from Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC to Enerplus Resources USA Corporation on 132 wells.

Drilling

70 oil and gas wells have a spud date in November 2021 in the state's wells layer of November 6, 2026. By county: Williams 22, McKenzie 19, Dunn 17, Mountrail 12.

Hearings and orders

21 Industrial Commission orders signed in November 2021 are in the project's order index, with 27 spacing and 10 pooling actions on spacing units. Most frequent applicants: Marathon Oil Co. (7), Continental Resources, Inc. (4), Oasis Petroleum North America LLC (4). The facts are machine-extracted from the signed orders and not individually reviewed.

Operators

122 operators filed rows in the November 2021 report. Most wells reported: Continental Resources, Inc. (2,092), Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation (1,779), Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC (1,652), Oasis Petroleum North America LLC (1,091), XTO Energy Inc (1,042).

The operator of record changed on 1,534 wells since their previous report.

Equinor Energy LP to Grayson Mill Operating, LLC: 706 wells
Bruin E&P Operating, LLC to Enerplus Resources USA Corporation: 473 wells
Nine Point Energy, LLC to Bowline Energy LLC: 193 wells
Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC to Enerplus Resources USA Corporation: 132 wells
Petro-Hunt, L.L.C. to Resource Energy Can-Am LLC: 13 wells
Peregrine Petroleum Partners, LTD to Rimrock Oil & Gas Williston LLC: 9 wells

A change of operator of record is what the reports show; it does not say why. Sales, mergers, renamed legal entities and new contract operators all look the same. Names are as the reports spell them.

Sources

Oil output and price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, monthly state series (public domain), as published today.
Wells reporting, withheld wells, operators and flared gas: the free NDIC Monthly Production Reports for November 2021, as first reported (workbook).
Spud dates: the DMR GIS wells layer of November 6, 2026.
Orders: the project's index of signed NDIC orders (facts only; see the well index).

Not an official record of the State of North Dakota. Not engineering, investment or legal advice. Every figure is in the archive data file.