Tag: shale

August 29, 2019

After oil prices dropped about $10 a barrel since this spring, they now appear to be on an upward trajectory, despite continued fears that the trade war will cause a recession or that the imbroglio between Iran and President Trump […]

June 14, 2019

Recent reports about bankers’ demands that shale producers not increase upstream expenditure have caused some to be pessimistic about the outlook for shale production, up to and including last month’s “Shale Boom about to go Bust.” Other stories have emphasized […]

March 14, 2019

Big companies such as Chevron and ExxonMobil recently announced plans to significantly ramp up production in prolific shale basins, such as the Permian Basin spanning Texas and New Mexico. “Oil majors are spending more dollars on shale in an effort […]

March 12, 2019

Big oil is getting even bigger in shale, and that could speed up a shakeout among independents and force more mergers and joint ventures. Last week, both Exxon Mobil and Chevron said they would boost their growth in the Permian […]

March 11, 2019

The shale drillers behind booming U.S. oil and natural gas output have survived a bevy of challenges in recent years, from a historic oil price downturn to an effort by OPEC to wash them out of the market with a […]

April 27, 2018

Opec’s goal of defending high oil prices may suit some members in the short run, but its long-term impacts could be damaging Since its historic agreement in November 2016, Opec’s efforts to manage the oil market have shown signs of […]

March 9, 2018

As tight oil soars, producers should welcome the retreat in prices. Cheaper oil is the best chance to bring back market equilibrium No one should doubt Opec and its partners’ success. They have beaten expectations on compliance with the cuts […]

March 5, 2018

A teenage growth spurt – U.S. onshore liquids production is on a tear again. Already rebounding from the downturn for a year, right now it’s turbo-charged. We expect tight oil to grow by 2 million b/d over the next two […]

February 16, 2018

Producers are funneling more cash into share buybacks and dividends after months of pressure from shareholders to boost returns Oil at $60 is making life a lot easier for US shale executives. For months, a debate has swirled around the […]

December 8, 2017

Genuine gains have been made, but the industry will need further technological breakthroughs to overcome the geology Discussions about the US shale industry’s resilience through the oil price downturn and swift recovery inevitably turn to drillers’ ability to innovate their […]

September 15, 2017

America’s shale industry is showing few signs of slowing down this year Oil bulls looking for signs of tight oil capitulation in the face of sub-$50-a-barrel oil were left disappointed in August’s earnings season. Some producers trimmed their capex plans, […]

June 29, 2017

Front-month WTI futures—the US crude benchmark price—briefly fell below $43 per barrel on 21 June before recovering to around $44/b later in the month. That’s an almost $10/b-drop from a year-earlier. Bearish market sentiment from speculators—due to fears that commitment […]

May 10, 2017

In April this year, Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas export facility loaded and shipped its 100th cargo, a milestone for the US’ growing gas export industry. This year, the country will see a surge of new LNG export […]

June 8, 2016

The growth in total U.S. dry natural gas production projected in the Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016) Reference case results mostly from increased development of shale gas and tight oil plays. Natural gas resources in tight sandstone and carbonate formations […]

March 16, 2016

Even though hydraulic fracturing has been in use for more than six decades, it has only recently been used to produce a significant portion of crude oil in the United States. This technique, often used in combination with horizontal drilling, […]