Gas-capturing targets were met for most of the year as routine flaring drops to just 7.5% statewide and even lower in the Bakken Shale.
随着常规燃烧在全州范围内仅降至7.5%，其中Bakken页岩甚至更低，天然气捕获目标在今年大部分时间都得以实现。
December 8, 2021
2021年12月8日
北达科他州的Tioga天然气工厂是该州最大的天然气处理厂之一
Natural gas flaring in North Dakota was once a stubborn problem for the state's oil and gas industry but now appears to be a rapidly shrinking one thanks in large part to the recent buildout of new takeaway capacity.
北达科他州的天然气燃烧曾是该州石油和天然气行业的一个棘手问题，但这个问题似乎正在迅速得到改善，这在很大程度上归功于最近新建的外卖系统。
For the year through September, data compiled by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that upstream developments in the state flared an average of just 7.5% of produced natural gas compared with an average of 19% in 2019.
美国能源情报署(EIA)汇编的数据显示，截至今年9月，该州上游开发的天然气平均燃烧量仅为7.5%，而2019年的平均燃烧量为19%。
The figure means that, for most of the year, operators have successfully captured 92.5% of the gas flowing from the more than 16,000 producing wells across the state. That puts the industry in North Dakota in good standing with state regulators who this year set a 91% capture target.
这一数据意味着，在今年的大部分时间里，运营商已经成功地从该州16000多口生产井中获取了92.5%的天然气。这使得北达科他州的汽车行业与州监管机构保持着良好的关系，该州监管机构今年设定了91%的捕获目标。
COVID-19 impacts slowed North Dakota's natural gas output in early 2020 from 3.2 Bcf/D in March to 1.9 Bcf/D in May. However, production bounced back to 2.9 Bcf/D by October 2020.
COVID-19的影响减缓了北达科他州2020年初的天然气产量，从3月的32亿立方英尺/天降至5月的19亿立方英尺/天。然而，到2020年10月，产量回升至29亿立方英尺/天。
In September, the state saw gas flows exceed 3 Bcf/D with a capture rate of almost 94%, according to monthly data from the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC).
根据北达科他州工业委员会(NDIC)的月度数据，9月份，该州的天然气流量超过30亿立方英尺/天，捕获率接近94%。
The NDIC also showed that only 5.6% of gas was flared from wells in the liquids-rich Bakken formation. Most of the natural gas flared in North Dakota is considered associated gas that is produced from oil wells.
NDIC还表示，在富含液体的Bakken地层中，只有5.6%的天然气被燃烧。北达科他州燃烧的大部分天然气被认为是来自油井的伴生气。
The recent Bakken and statewide figures on flaring rates represent historical lows not seen since before 2008. That year, oil production in the state topped 200,000 B/D before climbing to a peak of nearly 1.5 million B/D by late 2019. North Dakota’s crude production has been trending down since then and for the month of September stood at almost 1.01 million B/D.
最近Bakken和全州范围内的燃烧率是自2008年以来的历史低点。那一年，该州的石油产量超过20万桶/天，在2019年底攀升至近150万桶/天的峰值。自那以后，北达科他州的原油产量一直呈下降趋势，9月份的产量为近101万桶/天。
As the state’s oil and gas regulator, the NDIC introduced its first capture target of 75% in late 2014 and has gradually increased it over the years. The decision to adopt new targets was made after operators in North Dakota’s Bakken and Three Forks formations routinely flared more than 30% of their produced gas in 2013.
作为该州的石油和天然气监管机构，NDIC在2014年底首次提出了75%的捕获目标，并在过去几年逐步提高了这一目标。2013年，北达科他州的Bakken和Three Forks地层的运营商经常将30%以上的天然气进行燃烧，因此他们决定采用新的目标。
The EIA pointed out that the state’s capture target has been met every month since April 2020 to September 2021 with the exception of July 2021. This is in contrast to a stretch between early 2018 and early 2020 when oil and gas developers in North Dakota fell short of meeting their capture target.
EIA指出，自2020年4月至2021年9月，该州除2021年7月外，每个月都实现了捕集目标。这与2018年初至2020年初的一段时间形成了对比，当时北达科他州的油气开发商都未能实现他们的捕获目标。
Lack of gas processing and pipeline capacity have long been cited as the chief drivers behind North Dakota’s high flaring rates and periods of noncompliance with state goals. However, gas processing capacity in the state has jumped from 1 Bcf/D in 2013 to 3.4 Bcf/D in 2020 and is on track to top 4 Bcf/D by the end of this year, according to the NDIC.
长期以来，缺乏天然气加工和管道能力一直被认为是北达科他州高燃烧率和长期不符合州目标的主要驱动因素。然而，根据NDIC的数据，该州的天然气处理能力已从2013年的10亿立方英尺/天跃升至2020年的34亿立方英尺/天，并有望在今年年底达到40亿立方英尺/天。
总结：天然气燃烧一直是石油和天然气行业需要重视的问题，北达科他州的常规燃烧在全州范围内仅降至7.5%，且天然气捕获目标在今年大部分时间都得以实现。这代表着北达科他州在天然气燃烧方面的有效控制，有利于未来实现并突破其天然气捕获目标。
人力资源部 硕2020级6班 米 杰
外联部 硕2021级1班 孙 敏
