What it costs to plug a well in North Dakota
Reported costs of publicly funded plugging in North Dakota, 2023 to 2026: a median of $48,329 per well.
BModerate confidence
The middle of reported costs is $48,329. Most wells cost between $39,412 and $93,450 (the 10th to 90th percentile). The median is typically within 26% of what individual wells cost. It rests on 81 wells.
How North Dakota compares
North Dakota's median is above the middle of published states ($43,622) and is number 6 from the bottom of the 10 states with a published figure. State differences reflect well depth, terrain, the age of the wells and how each program buys the work, so a higher number does not by itself mean a less efficient program.
The wells behind the figure are mostly oil wells.
Funding
North Dakota's orphan well program has received at least $25.0 million in federal infrastructure-law grants that we could match in federal award records. Program tracker for North Dakota.
Bonds
Compare the cost with what operators must post: bond amounts for North Dakota.
Using the figure
These are costs of orphan wells plugged with public money, mostly shallow vertical wells. A deep, horizontal or offshore well, or a well with a collapsed casing, can cost far more. For a specific well, use the estimator; for the full state page, charts and sources see North Dakota costs.