September 2025

North Dakota's oil month in September 2025, from the public record.

Written on November 8, 2026, looking back. This issue was not published in September 2025. 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 output1,172,233barrels a day0.3% below the month before · 2.7% below a year earlier

Wells reporting oil18,950plus 163 confidential wells whose volumes are withheld

Wells spudded79oil and gas wells, by spud date

Orders signed43316 spacing and 10 pooling actions

Crude price$57.88a barrel, first purchase$64.52 a year earlier

Flared share of reported gas4.5%

Oil output, January 2003 to August 2026; the dot marks September 2025.

What stood out

The operator of record changed from Grayson Mill Operating, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C. on 1,333 wells.
The operator of record changed from WPX Energy Williston, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C. on 720 wells.

Drilling

79 oil and gas wells have a spud date in September 2025 in the state's wells layer of November 6, 2026. By county: McKenzie 33, Williams 27, Mountrail 8, Divide 4, Burke 3.

Hearings and orders

43 Industrial Commission orders signed in September 2025 are in the project's order index, with 316 spacing and 10 pooling actions on spacing units. Most frequent applicants: Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC (14), Phoenix Operating LLC (4), Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. LP (3). The facts are machine-extracted from the signed orders and not individually reviewed.

Operators

107 operators filed rows in the September 2025 report. Most wells reported: Continental Resources, Inc. (2,736), Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C. (2,060), Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation (1,972), Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC (1,959), Oasis Petroleum North America LLC (1,764).

The operator of record changed on 2,057 wells since their previous report.

Grayson Mill Operating, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C.: 1,333 wells
WPX Energy Williston, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C.: 720 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 September 2025, 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.