North Dakota backs $45 million in EOR research to extend Williston basin production
The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved $45.1 million in matching grants for a new round of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) research and pilot projects aimed at extending oil production in the Williston basin.
The funding, announced during the commission’s 62nd grant round of the Oil and Gas Research Program, will support six major projects led by operators including Chord Energy, Continental Resources, Devon Energy, Cobra Oil & Gas, and the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC).
Established in 2007, the Oil and Gas Research Program provides grants for projects that enhance oil and gas recovery in North Dakota and is funded entirely through state production and extraction taxes. Applicants must provide at least a 50% funding match.
“EOR projects have the potential to change the trajectory of the state’s oil and gas production,” the Commission said in a joint statement. “If successful, these projects can increase and extend, perhaps by decades, oil and gas production in the Williston basin.”
The six funded projects include:
- Chord Energy – Large-Scale Hydrocarbon Gas Injection EOR Pilot ($13.99 million)
- Continental Resources – Multi-Well, Multi-Zone EOR Project Utilizing Produced Gas in Williams County ($9.83 million)
- Continental Resources – Large-Scale Miscible Gas Huff n Puff EOR Pilot in Dunn County ($8.77 million)
- Cobra Oil & Gas Corp. – EOR and Advanced Completion Design for Tight Carbonate Reservoirs in Western North Dakota ($5 million)
- Devon Energy – Surfactant-Based EOR Pilot Testing Program in Bakken–Three Forks Formations ($1.54 million)
- EERC – Bakken Production Optimization Program (BPOP) 5.0 ($6 million)
According to Nathan Anderson, Director of the Department of Mineral Resources, “The approved projects will help North Dakota move up the learning curve with EOR.”
The North Dakota Legislature recently dedicated an additional $25 million to support EOR-related research, helping companies de-risk these capital-intensive projects and advance new recovery technologies.
