Haynesville Shale

The days of freely spending money at Chesapeake Energy Corp. are through as capital discipline takes over from wheeling and dealing, CEO Doug Lawler said Thursday.

EP Energy LLC, a privately held explorer formed from spun-off assets of the former El Paso Corp., launched Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Natural gas and oil production from wells in six domestic shale plays/basins will continue to edge higher in February, buoyed in large part by the Marcellus, Eagle Ford and Bakken, according to estimates released Tuesday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Texas oil and natural gas production during October continued to climb from year-ago levels, according to preliminary data released by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC). Drilling permit activity is down slightly from a year ago, but the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale regions continue to lead the pack for permits issued.

Natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale continues to surge higher, with 12.9 Bcf/d expected to come out of the prolific play in December, a 3.3% increase from 12.5 Bcf/d in November, according to EIA’s second Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) for key tight oil and shale gas regions.

Texans have voted overwhelmingly for a constitutional amendment to allocate $2 billion from the state’s “rainy day” fund to programs intended to secure water supplies in the frequently drought-stricken state. The measure had the support of the oil and gas industry, whose use of water for hydraulic fracturing is often scrutinized.

The Texas Petro Index (TPI), a barometer of oil and gas activity in the Lone Star State, set another record in September, mainly on the back of robust oil production. But while natural gas production declines, stronger prices more than compensate.

Denver-based Berry Petroleum Co. said Wednesday it expects to see its natural gas assets in the Piceance in Colorado and East Texas Haynesville/Bossier Shale decline this year as its continues to target its investment toward oil assets in the Uinta and Permian Basins.

It’s not how many rigs there are in the shale patch; it’s what they’re doing. As drilling productivity continues to climb, the industry has realized a simple rig count is a poor indicator of future production. Now the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is monitoring and reporting on drilling productivity.