North Dakota December natural gas output fell to a 20-month low following a record drop in crude production because of harsh winter conditions and increased flaring.
Gas production in December declined to 1.54 Bcf/d (44mn m³/d), down by 12.5pc from the record 1.76 Bcf/d November output, according to the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources.
Gas production in December fell by 7.8pc from a year earlier and was the lowest since April 2015.
High wind and frigid winter weather inhibited hydraulic fracturing and well completion, according to department director Lynn Helms.
Nearly all of the gas produced in North Dakota comes from the state's oil wells.
Similar weather conditions will keep January production near December levels. In addition, production will be affected through the first quarter of this year because of road restriction for trucking as snow starts to thaw, Helms said.
Cold weather also increased the amount of gas flared in December.
Some producers could not send gas to processing plants because of pipeline freeze-offs and plug-ins amid freezing weather, according to Helms.
Gas captured by North Dakota operators in December decreased by 3 percentage point from November to 86pc.
Production of crude and associated gas should increase this summer as producers start focusing on reducing the number of uncompleted wells with the recent recover of crude oil prices.
Estimated wells waiting on completion were at 807 at the end of December.
Continental Resources, which has the largest inventory of uncompleted wells in the region, will bring in six fracturing crews as soon as possible to reduce their inventory by two thirds, Helms said.
