reliability

Shale production will accelerate growth in demand for natural gas, and eventually revive drilling, by stabilizing supplies and prices for decades to come, Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) has been told (see Shale Daily, Oct. 22).

The well efficiencies touted by exploration and production (E&P) companies in some of the star unconventional basins in North America could give the lesser-known names a chance to shine in the coming year, the COO of National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) said Friday.

On average weekly prices regionally were all over the map, but the national average came in at $3.74, unchanged from a week ago. South Texas saw the week’s biggest losses, dropping a stout 12 cents to $3.61, and the Northeast reveled in the week’s greatest gains, adding 26 cents to $3.66. Of individual market points, Transco Leidy enjoyed the greatest gain, adding $1.13 to $2.84, and two Texas Eastern points suffered the week’s greatest losses, dropping 13 cents at both Texas Eastern S TX ($3.59) and Texas Eastern W LA ($3.60).

The Lower 48 land rig market has “digested” the transition to oil-directed drilling, but there’s still an oversupplied pressure pumping market, brought about in part by efficiency gains, Nabors Industries Ltd. CEO Tony Petrello said Wednesday.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) conditional approvals of permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries may not pass muster in the financial and legal sectors, an industry executive told an audience of energy attorneys Wednesday.

Encana Corp. recorded its second consecutive profitable period in the third quarter, and the move to oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) also trended higher, with volumes up 92% year/year, the Calgary operator said Wednesday.

Utilities in Florida have received approval from the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to bill customers surcharges to cover the cost of replacing aging cast iron and bare steel natural gas distribution pipelines.

After several months of decline, rail transport of crude oil is likely to pick up during the rest of the year, according to North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad, who said the widening spread in global Brent and U.S. WTI oil prices will drive more shipments back to rail.

Despite the fact that they may not be needed anytime soon, Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced Tuesday it is crafting new rules for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to reflect the concerns of residents and environmentalists.DEQ regulators have hosted or attended more than 200 public meetings around the state during the past two years. “We have heard loud and clear that there is a growing concern about fracturing,” said DEQ Director Dan Wyant.DEQ’s proposed fracking changes focus on four key areas: