Bakken Rig Count Steady at 25, Down from Month-Ago Peak

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 25 on Sunday, July 5, 2026, according to live data from Bakken Wire. The count showed no daily change, with zero new rigs added, zero rigs removed, and no rigs moving location since yesterday.

The current figure represents a slight decline from recent activity. The rig count is down by one compared to one week ago, when 26 rigs were active on June 28. It is also down by three rigs from the level seen one month ago on June 5, when 28 rigs were drilling in the state.

While near-term drilling activity has moderated, long-term infrastructure planning for the region continues to advance. According to a report from Bing News, optimism is growing around a proposed major natural gas pipeline that would connect western oilfields to eastern markets. The Bakken East pipeline, proposed by WBI Energy Transmission Inc., is being designed to run approximately 400 miles from near Watford City to Mapleton.

A recent reworking of the proposal has seen planned pipe sizes increased, according to the source. The first 134 miles would now use 42-inch diameter pipe instead of 36 inches, and a 162-mile middle stretch would use 36-inch pipe instead of 30 inches. Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, told the Grand Forks Herald that the upgrade means more capacity for customers and is "good news across the board for the eastern half of North Dakota."

Kringstad said the larger diameters are a response to higher-than-anticipated interest along the route, which could lead to more expansion options in the future. Keith Lund, President and CEO of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp., stated that greater capacity creates greater opportunity for northeast North Dakota, ranking expanded natural gas access very high on his organization's priorities.

The proposed pipeline, while still in planning stages, is seen as a critical piece of infrastructure that would provide additional supply and redundancy for industries in the Red River Valley, including agribusiness and data centers. Its development remains a focal point for economic planners despite the current modest level of drilling activity in the Bakken formation.