North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 23 for Third Consecutive Week

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 23 on Friday, marking no net change from the previous day, according to live data from Bakken Wire. The count has now remained unchanged for one week and one full month.

One rig was reported to have moved locations. The NABORS X28 rig, operated by Zavanna Energy Operating, LLC, relocated to a site in Williams County, specifically location 155-100-22. No new rigs were added, and none were removed from active service.

The sustained rig activity level occurs as the state recently reflected on major energy anniversaries. According to a report from the Institute for Energy Research, April 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of North Dakota's first major oil discovery at the Clarence Iverson #1 well near Tioga on April 4, 1951. That well produced over 585,000 barrels in its lifetime and launched the state's modern oil industry.

The report also highlighted the 20th anniversary of the modern economic benefits unlocked by the Bakken formation. Technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the 2000s made the shale play commercially viable, leading to a production boom. North Dakota reached a historic landmark in April 2014 when oil production hit 1 million barrels per day.

Infrastructure developments like the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), completed in 2017, were cited as critical for moving Bakken crude to market. Furthermore, the state's Legacy Fund, created by voters in 2010, channels a portion of oil and gas tax revenues into a permanent savings account for future generations.

The current stable rig count represents a mature phase of development in the Bakken, where efficiency gains and optimized well designs allow operators to maintain production levels with fewer rigs than during the peak drilling years. The consistency over the past month suggests a period of operational steadiness among Bakken producers.

Williams County, where Friday's lone rig move occurred, is a core area of the Bakken formation and consistently hosts a significant portion of the state's drilling activity.