North Dakota’s tally of active oil and natural gas drilling rigs and hydraulic fracturing (frack) crews has risen to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic, the state’s top oil and gas regulator said Friday.

north dakota rigs

The rig count stood at 40 as of Friday, the highest since March 2020, North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Director Lynn Helms told reporters.

The number of active frack crews, meanwhile, had reached 15, a number not seen since April 2020.

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Oil and natural gas production in the state rose by 3% and 4.5%, respectively, in March versus February. Oil output grew to 1.12 million b/d while natural gas output swelled...