Unimin and Fairmount Santrol have decided to combine in a merger expected to close mid-2018. The deal will create the largest frac sand supplier in the US. The merger of these two sand bellwethers has been rumored “seriously” since October and “casually” since well before that. In fact, back in …
Read More »How Does Permian Basin Dune Sand Look In The Lab? [Charts & Analysis]
For this update, Lonquist & Co. has shared some independently collected West Texas frac sand sample data with Infill Thinking. The results establish some third-party benchmarks for locally-sourced Permian proppant specs. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our …
Read More »The Results Of Infill Thinking’s 2018 Outlook Survey Are In…
Last week, we asked readers to answer 13 questions about the outlook for 2018. The focus of our survey was key trends and themes in the US onshore business. Participation was strong, with a diverse mix of respondents – all of whom are well informed on Lower 48 trends. In …
Read More »Hiccups And Startups – The Very Latest On The First Nine Permian Basin Frac Sand Mines
Three Permian Basin mines are producing frac sand today. Over the next four months, six more plants are planned to begin commercial production in the Basin. Will all go according to plan? And who will win the race to be the next plant online? We have field-level updates on all …
Read More »In-Basin Adversary: 40mph Gusts In Kermit/Monahans Just Tested Sand Stockpiles
High winds ripped through the West Texas dune strip during the past couple days, reminding us of fugitive dust and inventory erosion risks. West Texas poses a unique environmental challenge that the frac sand mining industry has never had to deal with at scale before. We believe wind will be …
Read More »Two Fatalities In Permian Frac Sand Handling In As Many Months Raise Concerns
This is the kind of update we hate to write. Every O&G company we know goes to great lengths avoid fatal accidents. Few industries emphasize safety as much as O&G. But in a physical business like this, occupational hazards are very real. Our coverage will serve two purposes and two …
Read More »New Frac Sand Entrant Opens A 3mmtpa Permian Mine, Plans Second Site [Exclusive Details, Photos, First Look]
Infill Thinking visited the third Permian Basin frac sand mine to come online back when it was under construction in August. With the plant coming online last week, we share exclusive details from our time on site with management as well as the very latest on the startup from our …
Read More »About 80 Trucks A Day Are Moving Out Of Aequor’s Gates Out In Culberson County Right Now
We checked in with Aequor management out in Culberson County for an update on the Permian Basin’s second online frac sand mine. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If …
Read More »Permian Frac Sand Scattershooting Part 2: Smart Sand’s Plan, Well Performance, New Contracts, Delaware Usage
Another installment in our popular series of tidbits on Permian Basin frac sand mine scene happenings. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, …
Read More »US Silica Customer: “Most West Texas Frac Sand Mine Sites Are Just A Wooden Shack At The End Of A Long Dirt Road”
US Silica reported better than expected 3Q17 and a very strong outlook for 2018 Monday evening. Tuesday morning on the conference call, we recorded market insights on SandBox, West Texas capacity, updates on US Silica’s Crane & Lamesa plants, 2018 overall demand, contracting activity, the outlook for Northern White, among …
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