BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – During the 2026 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, leaders shared how, in the Bakken, natural gas is booming.
However, those high levels of natural gas come with even higher stakes. And without enough pipelines to contain it, that gas often ends up in a flare pit or at an entirely new location.
“Today’s producers will not allow flaring to ramp up to the levels it was years ago. They need to have a solution, and if that solution doesn’t exist, they will move that capital to other opportunities across the U.S. or across the globe for some producers,” said Justin Kringstad, executive director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority.
This dilemma is pushing officials to develop new projects as part of a long-term solution. One in particular is the Bakken East project. It’s a high-pressure pipeline that would run from Watford City all the way to Fargo. It would be the first large-scale system made exclusively for North Dakota natural gas opportunities.
The plan moves in two steps. Phase one would connect the pipeline from Watford City to northern Bismarck by November 2029. By November 2030, the line would be completed in Fargo.
Experts say a full system could generate more than a billion dollars a year in tax revenue and protect thousands of jobs by keeping oil rigs running.
“North Dakota is so uniquely positioned that in ten years, success would be absolute abundance. We would have pipe connectivity from the west to the central to the east so that opportunities in the oil field can continue,” said Kringstad.
The biggest hurdle now? Getting all the companies and commercial parties to reach an agreement. Once they do, the time to act for Bakken gas officially begins.
The pipeline would also benefit North Dakota’s power supply and industrial opportunities and would connect new communities along the route that historically didn’t have access to natural gas.
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