North Dakota’s hot Bakken play is figuring prominently in the overall nationwide oil production picture which is on course to have one of the biggest gains since 1970, according to a new analysis by Platts.

“The development of the Bakken into a robust, new oil province is well under way, according to data from the Energy Information Administration,” Platts said. “Bakken oil output has already elevated North Dakota into fifth place among US states for oil production with average daily out of 202,000 barrels at the end of 2008.”

“But that number already appears to be old, even though it was 50% more than 2007 figures,” Platt said. “For example, in June of this year, production in North Dakota had climbed to 215,000 barrels a day.

Producers that have shifted their strategies from natural gas include EOG Resources of Houston, the largest operator in the Williston Basin, which has gone to a 50-50 oil and gas mix, compared to its earlier goal of 70% gas production.

Platts said if current oil production nationwide, which is averaging 5.268 million barrels per day, holds through December, production would show a 6.4% increase over the 4.95 million barrels a day average in 2008.

Operators working in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to post new production levels at the end of the year also, Platts said. It said that the US has a chance of maintaining oil output in the range of 5 to 6 million b/d for several years.

“We see it above 5 million barrels per day for the next 10 years or so,” said Peter Jackson, senior director for HIS CERA. “There is still a tremendous amount of exploration potential in the US and that plateau could be sustained.”