BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) —North Dakota’s oil and gas industry is putting North Dakota on the map as an energy leader, and accounts for over half of our state’s revenue.
To help us stay on top, the annual Williston Basin Petroleum Conference is held for the purpose of keeping energy leaders up to date on the latest and greatest technologies and businesses.
The conference is currently taking place at the Bismarck Event Center. Representatives and attendees alike say that between the combination of over 300 exhibits, nearly 2,500 visitors, and a large selection of guest speakers addressing a variety of fueled-up topics, it is not an event to be missed.
“It looks really cool,” said Haliburton Application Engineer Livia Zihlmann. “There’s so much going on. I can’t wait to talk to all the different people, and see some of the customers that I work with daily. I’m hoping to get up to date on all the technology that’s coming out so that I can design better systems for the future, and be in the know about what’s going on in the industry trends.”
Attendees also have a huge milestone to celebrate. This month, the Bakken is set to reach five billion barrels of oil produced.
“If you filled the state capitol 12,000 times,” explained the ND Petroleum Council’s Communications Director Reva Kautz, “that’s five billion barrels, to kind of put things in perspective. It’s a lot. We’ve made it to this amazing milestone, but it’s about what’s next. Our industry leaders are going to explain enhanced oil recovery, ways to get more out of the Bakken, and even to go beyond.”
The conference will last until May 15 and include breakout sessions discussing the geology of North Dakota and how to advance technology in both the Bakken Formation and Williston Basin. Former President Donald Trump will also appear over video to deliver a message to attendees.
Read More: Bakken celebrates five billion barrels at petroleum conference