Onshore drilling efficiencies and multi-pad drilling has begun to tell the tale in North America’s onshore unconventionals, with super independents ConocoPhillips, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Apache Corp. all reporting stronger-than-ever production.

Combined production in the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford and Bakken shales nearly doubled ConocoPhillips’ output year/year (y/y), and the management team expects to see future growth as it transitions to multi-well pad drilling and experiments with tighter well spacing and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) stages.

Total production for the Houston operator hit 1.55 million boe/d in the latest period, with combined output from the Eagle Ford and Bakken shales, as well as the Permian Basin, up 47% y/y. Eagle Ford production climbed 98% to 121,000 boe/d and was up 20% sequentially. Bakken output rose 15% to 30,000 boe/d and was 3% higher than the first three months of this year.

Exploration and production (E&P) chief Matt Fox said in a conference call last week that the company has 11 rigs deployed in both the Eagle Ford and the Bakken, and it’s continuing to “evolve in places like the Eagle Ford…in frack design, the number of stages and the volume of proppant that we pump.” From an “unconventional perspective,” it also is ” seeing a lot of potential in the Permian,” with “at least” two producing intervals in the Avalon and Wolfcamp formations.

ConocoPhillips earned $2.1 billion ($1.65/share) in 2Q2013 versus year-ago profits of $2.3 billion ($1.80). Full-year production is forecast to be 1.52-1.53 million boe/d.

The Woodlands, TX-based Anadarko reversed year-ago losses in the latest period and reported onshore production gains nearly across the board. Management also credited improved drilling cycle times for higher output, with the average spud-to-rig-release cut to 8.1 days from 9.5 days in 1Q2013. Several wells were drilled in less than five days.

While global sales fell y/y, Anadarko’s U.S. onshore volumes jumped 25% to 61.8 million from 59.8 million boe. Total sales volumes averaged more than 750,000 boe/d, with liquids at about 309,000 boe/d.

Total output from Anadarko’s Southern & Appalachia unit came in at about 255,000 boe/d, 8% more sequentially and up by about one-third y/y. The unit includes the Permian, Marcellus, Haynesville and Eagle Ford shales, as well as the Hugoton play in Kansas, the Ozona formation in West Texas, and East Texas fields in the Bossier, Carthage and Chalk formations.

There were problems from higher natural gas production, said Anadarko’s management. “As expected, the strong growth from the horizontal program led to increased line pressure, which temporarily shut in more than 1,300 low-rate gas wells during the quarter. Line pressure is expected to improve in the third quarter when 140 MMcf/d of additional processing capacity is expected to come online.”

Anadarko earned $929 million net ($1.83/share) in 2Q2013, reversing year-ago losses of $89 million (minus 18 cents). Revenues climbed to $3.5 million from $3.2 billion. Operating profits, considered a better measure of quarterly performance, hit $1.14 billion, well ahead of year-ago losses of $279 million. Cash flow from operations totaled $2.5 billion from $2 billion.

Houston’s Apache Corp., which is streamlining its North American operations to concentrate on the Permian and Anadarko basins, reported a huge jump in production and profits during the second quarter. Onshore North American liquids production increased to 175,000 boe/d, constituting 41% of total worldwide liquids output and more than 22% of total overall production.

CEO G. Steven Farris said the onshore gains “represent an increase of over 6% quarter-to-quarter and nearly 42% from second quarter of 2012.”

As part of a portfolio review begun late last year, Apache in July sold its once mighty Gulf of Mexico Shelf leasehold, retaining the deep drilling rights, to Fieldwood Energy for $3.5 billion to better focus on onshore opportunities. That strategy has paid off handsomely.

In the Permian region, where Apache is the most active driller, the E&P averaged 123,000 boe/d, 74% liquids and 18% higher y/y, constituting nearly 16% of total production. Apache operated a record 41 rigs between April and June, drilling 214 gross wells, including 58 horizontals and 128 wells completed. Forty-five rigs now are running in the Permian.

“In the Anadarko Basin, we are running 35 rigs,” said Farris. “And as a result of this drilling activity, we remain on track to achieve our guidance of greater than 25% North American onshore liquids growth during 2013.”

Apache earned $1 billion ($2.54/share) in 2Q2013, almost two-thirds more than in the year-ago period when profits were $337 million (86 cents). Net cash provided by operating activities climbed to almost $2.8 billion from $2.4 billion.