MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE: MDU) announced that its board of directors has approved a Final Investment Decision to construct the Bakken East Pipeline, a roughly 350-mile natural gas pipeline to be built by its subsidiary WBI Energy.

The pipeline will run from the Bakken region in western North Dakota to a location near Fargo in eastern North Dakota, with an initial design capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet per day. The project is estimated to cost between $2.7 billion and $3.2 billion.

Construction is scheduled to take place over multiple seasons from 2028 to 2030, with completion in two phases. The first phase, covering the Bakken to central North Dakota, is targeted for late 2029. The second phase, extending to an existing WBI Energy compressor station near Mapleton, N.D., is expected to be completed by late 2030.

The project will include additions and modifications at three existing WBI Energy compressor stations and the construction of four new compressor stations.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted unanimously in August 2025 to support the project with a firm capacity commitment of $50 million per year for 10 years.

MDU Resources President and CEO Nicole A. Kivisto said the pipeline will serve growing demand for natural gas transportation and enable production from the Bakken region to reach customers in central and eastern North Dakota.

The company said it is evaluating debt and equity financing structures to fund the project, including potential partnership agreements, according to the press release.