BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple welcomed a $265 million investment decision to add gas processing capacity to the state's emerging production footprint.
North Dakota lags behind other oil-producing states in gas utilization, but set a goal of capturing 90 percent of associated gas within six years. Dalrymple praised the investment decision to add more processing capacity to help reach that goal.
"ONEOK is a strong partner in the growth and development of North Dakota's energy industry and this new plant marks the company's continued investment in our state and in our efforts to reduce flaring and create new markets for natural gas captured in the Bakken," he said in a statement Thursday.
ONEOK's facility in Dunn County, N.D., would be able to process 80 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Bakken shale formation in the state.
Natural gas associated with oil is burned off in most cases in the state because of the lack of technology to utilize that resource.
ONEOK said it's built 11 new natural gas processing plants since 2010, including eight in the Bakken region of North Dakota.
