In the years since unconventional drilling became more common, oil, gas, and pipeline operators have had an increased need to discharge produced or other sources of waste water. To obtain a permit for surface water discharges, operators may have needed to apply to both the Railroad Commission (RRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For related environmental activities,
Read More »
Onshore Advances
Occidental wins exploration rights for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 5
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced the signing of an exploration concession agreement, awarding the exploration rights for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 5 to Occidental...
Read More »GlobalData: Eagle Ford crude oil production expected to decline by 10% during 2020–2021
Shale operators slashed their planned capital expenditure (CAPEX) for 2020 to account for the oil price crash, which inevitably led to decline in drilling and completion activity in the Eagle Ford play...
Read More »ADNOC and TOTAL deliver first unconventional gas from the UAE
ADNOC and Total announced the delivery of the first unconventional gas from the United Arab Emirates. The unconventional gas was delivered from the Ruwais Diyab Unconventional Gas Concession located 200 km west of Abu Dhabi city...
Read More »Neptune Energy starts production from Adorf field
Neptune Energy announced first gas production from the Adorf Carboniferous development in northwestern Germany. Initial results were positive following successful drilling of the Adorf Z15 appraisal well, in the municipality of Emlichheim...
Read More »NOV rig census shows pandemic’s historic impact on drilling industry
Global rig demand has fallen to lowest point in census history, dating to 1955; North America has been hardest-hit, with Permian utilization at just 26% By Tarjei “TJ” Myklebust, Karl Appleton and Kevin Scherm, National Oilwell Varco The start of any 2020 census, in any industry or any part of the world, must begin with the impact of COVID-19. For oil and gas, the impact was a drastic drop in demand. Oil and gas drilling has been one of the most negatively impacted industries during the pandemic, and recovery appears to be slower than everyone had hoped. Early in the pandemic, the industry was further impacted by the market share war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that led to oversupply ...
Read More »FlexRigs: A milestone in the evolution of modern land rig technology, safety
Same desire for continuous improvement that drove design of FlexRigs is now driving H&P’s pursuit of better wellbore quality through digital, automation technologies By Linda Hsieh, Editor & Publisher In the annals of modern drilling history, the development of the Helmerich & Payne (H&P) AC-drive FlexRigs will surely go down as a key turning point in the evolution of modern rig design and technology. In terms of both safety and efficiency, these rigs proved to be a game changer that broke the prevailing “rigs are a commodity” paradigm in the US onshore market in the early 2000s. Up to that point, rig design was focused on drilling a specific well depth, said John Lindsay, H&P President and CEO. While companies ...
Read More »US land drilling faces long road to recovery
Increase in onshore rig count is likely to be minimal next year as E&P companies will remain cash-strapped and favor conservative spending By Stephen Whitfield, Associate Editor Around this time a year ago, US onshore drilling appeared to be in a tough spot, with analysts projecting drops in the rig count and a slowdown in production as operators continued to prioritize cash flow. Still, no one could have predicted the events that followed. The COVID-19 pandemic and the oil price crash threw a significant wrench in nearly every facet of the industry, even more so than the 2014-2015 downturn. Onshore operators responded with massive CAPEX cuts in the first months of the year. Then, largely due to shut-ins and curtailments, ...
Read More »Welltec to collaborate on near-field enhanced geothermal systems
Welltec has been awarded a crucial role in a project funded by the US DOE and led by the University of Oklahoma to illustrate that near-field enhanced geothermal systems can be successfully deployed...
Read More »KCA Deutag secures $150 million of land drilling contracts in Oman, spuds first well in Kuwait
KCA Deutag has been awarded contracts worth more than $150 million in Oman. The first award covers the provision of expert manpower for customer-owned rigs, hoists and workshops...
Read More »