A horizontal drilling drought has gripped a region of North Texas credited as the birthplace of the shale revolution.
The Barnett Shale has now gone more than a month without an energy company filing for a horizontal drilling permit in the natural gas-rich region.
Pioneered by legendary Houston oilman George Mitchell, the Barnett Shale became the first major shale formation to be successfully developed in the United States after he paired horizontal drilling with modern hydraulic fracturing techniques in the early 2000s. Nearly 20 years later, filings for horizontal drilling permits in the region have all but dried up.
Fort Worth natural gas company TEP Barnett USA LLC was the last company to seek a horizontal drilling permit in the Barnett Shale form the Texas Railroad Commission. The company filed on April 9 to develop three horizontal wells within Arlington city limits.
Permian Basin
Irving-based Guidon Energy is gearing up a for a new round of drilling in Martin County. The company is seeking permission to drill eight new horizontal wells on its Bessie 44-41 lease about 4 miles northwest of Stanton. The wells target the Spraberry field at total depths ranging from 9,000 to 10,000 feet.
Eagle Ford Shale
Katy exploration and production company Escondido Resources plans to do two heavy rounds of drilling on a pair of leases in Webb County. The company is targeting the Owen field of the Olmos geological formation on six horizontal wells planned on its Cerrito Ranch lease at a total depth of 7,000 feet. Three horizontal wells planned on the company’s Spohn Ranch lease target the Briscoe Ranch field of the Eagle Ford geological layer at a total depth of 10,000 feet.
Haynesville Shale
Nacogdoches natural gas company Covey Park Resources plans to develop a new horizontal well on its Marsh Gas Unit lease in Harrison County. Located about 8 miles west of Elysian Fields, the gas well targets the Carthage field of the Haynesville geological formation down to a total depth of 11,520 feet.
Barnett Shale
Jacksboro-based Oakridge Oil and Gas is preparing to drill three vertical wells on its Worthington lease in Jack County. Located about 3 miles north of Jacksboro, the wells target the Lucky Ridge SW field down to a depth of 3,000 feet.
Conventionals
San Antonio oil company Inland Ocean is planning to drill a deep oil well on its CML Mgmt Trust lease in Wharton County along the Coastal Bend. Located about 3 miles north east of El Campo, the well targets the Phase Four field of the Yegua geological formation down to a depth of 11,200 feet.
Top 10 Drillers in Texas
(Wednesday, May 1 through Tuesday, May 9)
Exxon Mobil: 17
ConocoPhillips: 13
Pioneer Natural Resources: 11
Diamondback Energy: 10
EOG Resources: 10
Fasken Oil and Ranch: 9
Escondido Resources: 9
Sable Permian Resources: 9
Guidon Energy: 8
Sable Permian Resources: 7
Source: Railroad Commission of Texas
Photo as published on Chron – David Kent / MCT