Gone are the days when lateral lengths in unconventional wells measured in hundreds of meters (or feet) were considered long. While it is not uncommon to hear of lateral lengths measuring in miles in plays like the Bakken, those lengths are starting to crop up with more frequency in the Permian Basin, Utica and elsewhere.
According to Stratas Advisors, the trend to longer laterals and more intensely fractured wells is expected to continue. Lateral lengths are estimated to increase by another 10% this year, according to the analysts. Proppant intensity is a good proxy for the level of intensity on the completion, with Stratas estimating proppant intensity also to increase 10% this year.
The articles that follow feature the technologies, from 3,000-hp rigs to redesigned pressure pumping systems and more, making it possible for operators to get more oil and gas in the pipeline by going longer.
Read each of E&P magazine's July "shale technologies" cover stories:
Higher horsepower rig making waves in the Delaware Basin
Engineering a new pumping approach
Raising the bar on refracture modeling
Recommended Reading
Despite LNG Permitting Risks, Cheniere Expansions Continue
2024-02-28 - U.S.-based Cheniere Energy expects the U.S. market, which exported 86 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG in 2023, will be the first to surpass the 200 mtpa mark—even taking into account a recent pause on approvals related to new U.S. LNG projects.
Pitts: Producers Ponder Ramifications of Biden’s LNG Strategy
2024-03-13 - While existing offtake agreements have been spared by the Biden administration's LNG permitting pause, the ramifications fall on supplying the Asian market post-2030, many analysts argue.
EQT’s Toby Rice: US NatGas is a Global ‘Decarbonizing Force’
2024-03-21 - The shale revolution has unlocked an amazing resource but it is far from reaching full potential as a lot more opportunities exist, EQT Corp. President and CEO Toby Rice said in a plenary session during CERAWeek by S&P Global.
Everywhere All at Once: Woodside CEO Touts Current Global Portfolio
2024-03-05 - Meg O’Neill, the CEO of Australian energy giant Woodside Energy, is overseeing the “next wave” of growth projects around the globe, including developments in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Senegal and further LNG expansion.
US Asks Venture Global LNG to Justify Filing of Confidential Documents
2024-03-13 - The FERC request comes days after Venture Global LNG customers had challenged the company's request for a one-year extension of its startup and urged the regulator to make Venture Global release the confidential commissioning documents.