Bakken Production Chart - Goldman Sachs
In an address to local officials, the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Director, Lynn Helms, shared a belief that the state's oil production will grow to 1.6 million barrels per day by 2017.
That's almost double current production and would represent an annual increase of ~175,000 b/d per year. This is just the latest of several bullish comments from analyst and regulators related to Bakken production growth.
Helms also discussed the need for freshwater in well maintenance activity, water recycling, the need to address flaring, and exploration in the Tyler formation.