Record setting STACK well results announced by Devon on Tuesday morning bode well for what the operator has planned next – a transition to full field, multi-zone manufacturing starting at a nearby location. We share our cliff notes on Devon’s pivotal Showboat project, which spuds imminently. There’s a lot more …
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First Look At 2018 US E&P Capex & Rig Count: Flat At The Current Strip?
While the majors talk capex in terms of multi-year programs, the Independents that drive the Lower 48 drilling & completion markets are usually reticent to discuss specific year-ahead capex details until budget season (late-4Q / early 1Q). Last week an Independent talked specifics on their 2018 development plan – one …
Read More »Another Day, Two More New Permian Sand Mines (Including The Biggest Yet)
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any hotter, the Permian frac sand rush heated up again this week. Two more mine sites were announced in the Permian on Thursday, including the largest to date. We now count 11 “firm” Permian mine sites, with rumors floating around of at least …
Read More »Don’t Read Too Much Into The Two Artificial Lift Transactions This Week
On the same day this week, both Halliburton and Forum Energy Technologies made acquisitions in the artificial lift space. Specifically, each firm announced a deal to take out a privately held electric submersible pump (ESP) target. The coincidental timing and shared ESP focus of the deals has inspired some exaggerated …
Read More »The Reconstruction Of The Jackup Market [Guest Post]
Deepwater attracts most of the attention paid to offshore drilling, but shallow water rig demand has improved recently stirring up some hope that perhaps the jackup segment may offer better relative recovery prospects offshore. We asked Infill Thinking subscriber Liz Tysall (a Senior Rystad Energy Analyst who has been following …
Read More »Recent History Says US Rig Count Will Roll Over In August If Oil Falls Sub-$40
With oil prices falling, it is worth noting what historical oil price / rig count relationships suggest about future drilling activity. In this update, we examine the oilfield reaction times that can be expected when oil prices move. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full …
Read More »How Far Can Shale Grow On Run Flat Tires?
E&P transcripts we’ve seen from recent investor conferences have been pretty upbeat all things considered. Why? Oil prices are sub-$45 and under pressure. Well, shale has some tricks up its sleeve that allow it to keep going, and we break them down here. There’s a lot more to this story… …
Read More »Indirect/Hidden Costs Are Posing An Increasing Threat To E&P [Guest Post]
Each Friday in June, we are passing the keyboard to one of our readers to share perspective from the field. We have handpicked these experts in their fields to share insights on key oilfield trends and debates. In today’s piece, online marketplace RigUp offers cost and market transparency on the Lower …
Read More »Wall Street Blames Shale, But Shale Points The Finger Right Back
Reacting to the crude price blood bath on their screens, dozens of Wall Street research shops are blasting bearish notes to institutional investor clients as we write. There is a common thread in every one of these notes that we’ve seen. Wall Street analysts blame relentless US tight oil producers …
Read More »The Largest Gas Producer Endorses A Conservative Unconventional Movement In The Shale Gas Revolution [Follow The Leaders]
Infill Thinking’s Follow The Leaders series distills key unconventional E&P strategies into real-time, digestible updates. The goal? Uncover future business opportunities and risks. Today we take a look at a new value creation strategy outlined by the leader in natural gas. The meaning of value creation in shale gas has changed. There’s a lot …
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