Eagle Ford Shale

The shale revolution is stimulating a large-scale infrastructure buildout and record levels of capital spending — in the railroad industry.

After capturing a healthy and growing share of Canadian natural gas consumption with shale production from the United States, exploration and production companies are poised to repeat the feat in oil markets.

Rosetta Resources Inc., a leading Eagle Ford Shale producer, has adopted what it says is an innovative and more efficient multi-well pad drilling strategy on its Briscoe Ranch acreage: column development.

At a torch-passing of sorts Wednesday, both outgoing and incoming CEOs for Marathon Oil Corp. had plenty to say about the Bakken and Eagle Ford shale plays, but new CEO Lee Tillman spoke more loudly about future opportunities during a second quarter earnings conference call in which results were said to be up sharply.

One day after Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) pioneer Goodrich Petroleum Corp. said it would redirect capital from the Eagle Ford Shale to the emerging play, Eagle Ford-focused Sanchez Energy Corp. Thursday announced deals worth $78 million that give it entry into the TMS.

Officials with EXCO Resources Inc. said its acquisitions in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville shales during the second quarter were the foundation for future expansion, while its financial position would be bolstered through its joint ventures (JV) with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP (KKR), Harbinger Group Inc. and BG Group plc.

Production of crude oil, condensate, natural gas liquids (NGL) and other liquids was up 30% in 2Q2013 at EOG Resources compared with 2Q2012, and the Houston-based company expects significant increases to come in the full year 2013.

Now that it has seen some encouraging well results, Goodrich Petroleum Inc. is stepping up activity in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) of Louisiana and Mississippi, where the company is about to close on an acquisition that will more than double its footprint in the emerging play.

ConocoPhillips saw its combined production in the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford and Bakken shales nearly double during 2Q2013, and it expects to see future growth from its holdings as it transitions to multi-well pad drilling and experiments with tighter well spacing and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) stages.