It’s been a wild ride.
From George Mitchell’s first forays into the Barnett back in the 1980s to the mad land grabs in the mid- and late-2000s to the heady production forecasts, shales have dominated the oil and gas industry, at least in North America, like few other industry breakthroughs.
Now, with oil and gas prices mere shadows of their former selves, many companies are reassessing shales in light of the new price environment, which shale development is at least partly responsible for. But companies are not walking away from shales altogether. With the pressure to drill up acreage mostly a thing of the past, they are experimenting with new technologies and methodologies to drill shales optimally, not just efficiently. And Europe, which desperately wishes to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, is quietly putting policies into place to encourage development of its own vast resources.
Read each story:
Tier 1 rigs continue to find work while legacy rigs are retired
Technology boosts returns in shales
Recommended Reading
Exclusive: Rockcliff CEO on $2.7B TGNR Deal, Value of Haynesville M&A
2024-04-10 - Rockcliff Energy CEO and President Alan Smith discusses the ups and downs of executing the transaction with TG Natural Resources and what's on the Rockcliff III radar, in this Hart Energy Exclusive interview.
Aethon Cuts Rigs but Wants More Western Haynesville Acreage
2024-03-31 - Private gas E&P Aethon Energy has drilled some screamers in its far western Haynesville Shale play—and the company wants to do more in the area.
The Answer to Curbing Permian Associated Gas? More M&A
2024-04-03 - Consolidation will result in less oil production, and therefore less associated gas, as fewer wells are produced, an energy analyst says.
Exclusive: Is TG Natural Resources Looking to Snap Up More?
2024-03-27 - At Hart Energy's DUG Gas+ Conference and Expo in Shreveport, Louisiana, TG Natural Resources' President and CEO Craig Jarchow said the integration of the Rockcliff Energy acquisition is well underway and that "being acquisitive is certainly" in the company's future.
Ohio Oil, Appalachia Gas Plays Ripe for Consolidation
2024-04-09 - With buyers “starved” for top-tier natural gas assets, Appalachia could become a dealmaking hotspot in the coming years. Operators, analysts and investors are also closely watching what comes out of the ground in the Ohio Utica oil fairway.