Oil production in North Dakota fell 18,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.168 million bpd in July, monthly data from the state Industrial Commission showed on Monday.
Wells permitted jumped to 107 in July and 100 in August, versus 78 in June. The state needs to permit roughly 100 wells in a month to keep production growing at 1% to 2%, the regulator said.
North Dakota is the third largest oil producing state in the U.S., behind Texas and New Mexico.
Prices for North Dakota light sweet crude rose slightly in July to $73.12 a barrel, up from $71.75 a barrel the month prior, according to the state’s oil regulator.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver Editing by Marguerita Choy)