Bakken Rig Count Holds at 23, Hunt Oil Rig Relocates in Burke County

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 23 on Friday, May 8, according to Bakken Wire live data. The total saw no net change from the previous day, with one rig moving locations and no new rigs added or removed.

The sole movement was a rig operated by Hunt Oil Company. The NABORS B21 rig relocated to a location in Burke County (160-91-35).

The current rig count is unchanged from one week ago, on May 1, 2026, which also stood at 23. However, activity is down by one rig compared to one month ago, when 24 rigs were active on April 8.

The stability in drilling activity comes as significant long-term investments are being announced for the basin's future. The US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $36 million on May 8 to advance carbon dioxide-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Bakken shale, according to a release from the agency reported by OGJ. The program, dubbed "Bakken Enhanced Oil Recovery–Cracking the Code" (Bakken EOR-CC), will be led by the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Research Center.

The initiative aims to combine laboratory research, reservoir modeling, artificial intelligence, and field work to evaluate EOR strategies. The DOE stated the effort could unlock billions of additional barrels of incremental oil and extend the life of the state's coal-fired power plants by utilizing their captured CO2 for EOR. Unconventional formations like the Bakken typically recover only about 10% of the oil in place.

“This program is essential to maximize the full potential of our valuable hydrocarbon resources in the Bakken. By ‘cracking the code,’ these integrated pilot projects will help establish a clear path for the broad commercial deployment of enhanced energy recovery across the nation," said DOE Assistant Secretary for the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office Kyle Haustveit, according to the OGJ report.

The Bakken EOR-CC program will involve six pilot projects to assess injection strategies and operational approaches. The DOE's $36 million investment, plus $9 million in cost-share from UND and partners, funds one of these pilots. State and private sources are providing approximately $100 million for the remaining five projects, OGJ reported.

Separately, North Dakota leaders unveiled an initiative aimed at increasing oil recovery in the Bakken using enhanced oil recovery and CO₂, according to a summary from MSN Money. This aligns with the broader federal effort to establish a technical foundation for wider EOR adoption in the Bakken and similar unconventional reservoirs.