North Dakota energy regulators expect a modest uptick in Bakken Shale oil production this year, though challenges persist around managing the immense volumes of liquids-rich natural gas extracted as a byproduct. 

A case in point was the deep freeze on Wednesday (Jan. 17), which shut in about 700,000 b/d of oil and 2 Bcf/d of natural gas production at its peak. As of Monday (Jan. 22), associated gas production was estimated to still be down by 650-800 MMcf/d, North Dakota Pipeline Authority director Justin Kringstad told NGI.

The missing volumes were mostly backfilled by gas from Western Canada flowing on TC Energy Corp.’s Northern Border Pipeline (NBPL) system, said Kringstad. NBPL is the primary outlet for gas to exit the Bakken and reach downstream markets, namely Chicago...