Natural Resources of North Dakota

North Dakota's resource wealth drives its economy:

• Oil & Gas – #2 US producer (Bakken/Three Forks); massive reserves.
• Coal – Lignite (Fort Union Formation); fuels mine-mouth power plants.
• Wind Energy – Top-tier wind resource; #6 US in installed capacity.
• Solar Potential – High insolation in west; growing utility-scale farms.
• Agriculture – #1 spring wheat, durum, canola, flax, honey; soybeans, corn expanding.
• Water – Lake Sakakawea (3rd largest US reservoir), Missouri River, aquifers.
• Timber – Modest (ponderosa pine, deciduous) in western badlands/slopes.

Resource diversity supports energy dominance, agribusiness, and emerging renewables.