In fact, only 40 percent of the drilled wells in the Tier 1 zones had an initial 180-day productivity of more than 1,000 boed per 10,000 feet perforated interval.14 On the other hand, close to 45 percent of the wells drilled outside the Tier 1 zones had a well productivity of more than 1,000 boed (figure 3), suggesting that formation quality alone cannot guarantee superior well performance.15. Graph prepared using data from the Texas Railroad Commission. To get back to a 5.5X, MRO shares need to adjust toward $51-$53 per share. For more information on how these series are computed, see. Ineos has finalized a $1.4 billion acquisition of some of US shale producer Chesapeake Energy's assets in the Eagle Ford shale which cuts through Karnes County. Certain considerations that could enable this learning include: The economic well models are based on recent cost trends in each sub-basin and actual numbers may vary based on company-specific cost efficiencies. already exists in Saved items. [28], The oil reserves in the Eagle Ford Shale Play were estimated in 2011 at 3 billion barrels. Eaglebine play of the southwestern East Texas basin: Stratigraphic and depositional framework of the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Woodbine and Eagle Ford Groups: AAPG Bulletin, v. 98, p. 2551-2580. That year, the company began testing several areas across South Texas. [31] As of 2013, Eagle Ford production extended into 24 counties in Texas. The shale is thickest here, which attracted the first exploration and production companies. ), The Eagle Ford Shale: A renaissance in U.S. oil production, AAPG Memoir 110, p. 87-135. Health effects evaluations for air sampling results are posted as they become available. The Eagle Ford Shale: Even the Oil Woes Are Bigger in Texas - PBS Eagle Ford Shale Drilling Permits Issued by Calendar Year: Drilling permit activity exploded in 2010, with over 1000 permits issued for the Eagle Ford Formation. However, intensifying designs for these wells in the Eagle Ford doesnt seem to improve capital efficiencyin fact, EUR/well cost fell by 1217 percent.32 This also seems to affirm the point highlighted earlier that responsiveness of many mature Eagle Ford formations toward completion designs is relatively weak and hence leads to suboptimal designs on the economic frontmodeling 500under-engineered wells for superior designs led to productivity gains of 211 percent, but with a 25 percent increase in cost.33 This implies that making a lot of tweaks to under-engineered wells in the basin may not make economic sense every time. The Eagle Ford began to shake off its sleepy, end of life reputation with Penn Virginia and Lonestar Resources merger that gave the combined company an Eagle Ford pure-play that rebranded as Ranger Oil, (NYSE:ROCC) 140,000 net acres in South Texas, production averaging more than 40K BOEPD, and almost 20 years of inventory. As with most rocks of regional extent, the Eagle Ford Shale has a wide variety of characters. section below and a structure contour map on this page.). The area in green is the oil window. Disclaimer: This data is a snapshot in time displaying production data from the RRCs Production Data Query System (PDQ) based on the extract date. For example, one of the leading independent E&P is going for much shorter wells, perforated interval of 2,0004,000 feet, but with much higher proppant (averaging 2,800 lbs per 10,000 feet length) and fluid intensity (57 bbls per 10,000 feet perforated interval).30 The company is saving on its biggest cost component, lateral length, without impacting its productivity (in fact, the company is maximizing its contact with the most reservoir rock). Eagle Ford Shale - Railroad Commission of Texas It is considered to be the "source rock", or the original source of hydrocarbons that are contained in the Austin Chalk above it. Eagle Ford Shale is coming back to life | Karnes Countywide Shales like the Eagle Ford will propel the United States into a net exporter by the late 2020's. According to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The high percentage of carbonate makes it more brittle and therefore more conducive to hydraulic fracturing. [2], Natural gas production in the Eagle Ford has increased an average of 11.0 percent per year since January 2010. Image by the United States Geological Survey. EURs improve to the southeast because of higher gas content closer to the condensate window. [2] Evidence for this oxygenation event, known as the "Benthonic Zone,"[21] include an increase in the abundance of benthic organism fossils and bioturbation, a decrease in redox proxies uranium, molybdenum, and vanadium, and a reduction in organic matter. fracturing usually yield much more oil and gas than a standard vertical well that only penetrates a The shallowest point of the Eagle Ford is located in Zavala and Maverick counties of the oil window. Small, rural communities make up most of the counties in the Eagle Ford. Pemex had an exploration program in progress until 2015. The Eagle Ford Shale is a hydrocarbon producing formation of significant importance. The crescent-shaped scatter of lights south of San Antonio is the area where the Eagle Ford Shale is being heavily drilled. Early wells in the Eagle Ford Formation were so productive that leasing and drilling activities The shale revolution has brought significant changes to local economies. Five years ago, however, the Eagle Ford boom came to a halt due to the bust in oil prices and a shift in drilling activity toward western Texas, the Permian basin. Halbouty, M. T., and J. J. Halbouty (1982) Relationships between East Texas field region and Sabine uplift in Texas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 66, p. 10421054. 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The microfossils found within the marls are predominantly coccoliths and planktonic foraminifera, whereas the limestones contain abundant radiolaria and calcispheres (calcareous cysts produced by some dinoflagellates). . Although the early focus was on gas-rich zones, economic prospects and geological variability of the basin enhanced as activity started moving toward wet and oil-heavy zones. Speaking of the rest, a few operators seems to have mastered a unique combination of completion designs. Over- or under-engineering of wells is one problem; an imbalanced prioritization of completion variables is another. Graphs of drilling permits issued, oil production, natural gas production, and condensate production Download the Deloitte Insights and Dow Jones app, Subscribe to receive more content from Deloitte Insights. Proppant loading per perforated interval seems to be the primary driver of productivity (significance of about 33 percent) across the Eagle Ford, in both Upper and Lower zones.22 Equally important are fluid volumes (significance of about 30 percent) as they carry the proppant and help to create the fracture.23 However, both proppant (sand, resin, ceramic) and treatment types (slickwater, crosslink, hybrid, linear gel) seem to have low significance (about 1114 percent in aggregate) in explaining the productivity in the basin.24 What does this mean for operators in the basin? Stay in touch with the latest activities by subscribing to our daily email covering operators, service companies, (acreage, production rates, well info, development plans, resverse, and completions designs), Eagle Ford Shale Drilling Activity By County, Devon Energy Corp. First Quarter 2023 Results, APA Corporation First Quarter 2023 Results, Amplify Energy Corporation First Quarter 2023 Results, SilverBow Resources, Inc., First Quarter 2023 Results, Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation First Quarter 2023 Results, EOG Resources, Inc., First Quarter 2023 Results, Crescent Energy Company First Quarter 2023 Results, Top Frac Companies Talk Slowdown In Gas Basin; Oversupplied Permian, Sitio Royalties Corp. First Quarter 2023 Results, Latest News on the US, Canada and International plays, Tracking Activity on more than 4,000 companies (E&P, Midstream & Oilfield Services), Active Rigs By Company and County (Updated Weekly), 2015 & 2014 Company Detailed Drilling Budgets, Company & Play Break-Even, Type Curves and Well Economics. EOG Resources plan to significantly expand its production of natural gas at its Dorado gas play in the Eagle Ford. organic material from decay and the laminations from bioturbation. Photo by the USGS Organic Petrology Laboratory. The gas window is very deep, ranging from 12,000 to 14,000 feet. slide below. Thesis, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, 358 p. McNulty, C. L, Jr. (1954) Fish Bed conglomerate and Sub-Clarksville sand, Grayson and Fannin Counties, Texas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 38, p. 335337. According to a presentation from Harris Cander of BP, the Eagle Ford shale liquid's sweet spot is within the southern portion of Karnes and Gonzales. June 14, 2023 The Eagle Ford Shale is an oil and gas formation near the Gulf Coast of Texas. Strategies for operating in the Eagle Ford basin | Deloitte Insights David Wethe January 14, 2022. Graph prepared using data from the Texas Railroad Commission. The rig count in the Eagle Ford increased steadily from mid-2009 to mid-2012. 186. Jennifer Hiller, "Hard Times Hit Eagle Ford," ", Jennifer Hiller, "Spending in Eagle Ford has dropped by 67 percent", "San Antonio Express-News," July 22, 2016, pp. It is intended to complement, not replace, companies sophisticated geological and field planning models of their own operations. See something interesting? It is Cretaceous in age resting between the Austin Chalk and the Buda Lime at a depth of approximately 4,000 to 12,000 feet. A few operators in the basin have developed a unique, simple, and effective completion strategy for themselves. [6], As of 2010[update], Chesapeake Energy lease held 600,000 acres in the field, selling an unspecified interest to CNOOC Limited for US$2 billion.[42]. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a FINRA Series 79 Investment Banking license. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the Eagle Ford is the best documented shale play in Mexico. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Bottom-line MRO shares should continue higher from the Ensign acreage pickup. Not a bad deal at ~$23,000 per acre on its face, but what drove the deal in the Eagle Ford as opposed to other shale plays? Statewide Links: Texas.gov The picture below shows these variances. It is the source rock for the Austin Chalk and the giant East Texas Field according to the RRC. Denne, R. A., R. E. Hinote, J. Track new and recompletion permits by: well name, class, (Oil, Gas, etc) county, state, operator, permit date and, status, API, lease information, and legal description, Rig Locations Map / Database: Updated Weekly, Search and view rig locations by: operator, well name, county, state, and wellbore type, Search for the number of wells planned to drill / complete, rigs, lateral lengths, and frac stages. The past 10 years have seen many changes in the Eagle Fordfrom one of the fastest-growing shale basins to a drastic fall in production and, finally, a recovery of sorts. It stretches from the Mexican border between Laredo and Eagle Pass up through counties east of Temple and Waco. So, we can say the Eagle Ford is back, but we need to understand the core drivers to know the rest of the story. Oil Boom in Eagle Ford Shale Brings New Wealth to South Texas, University of Texas at San Antonio Eagle Ford Shale Economic Impact for Counties with Active Drilling, Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays, calculations by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Energy Information Administration's Drilling Productivity Report, Energy Data Explanatory Notes and Resources, Energy Information Administration Drilling Productivity Report, Center for Community and Business Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In recent Eagle Ford news, the Texas Railroad Commission reported preliminary production numbers for December 2017 showing the downward trend is continuing. For example, average well productivity in the third Tier 1 zone is twice (about 1,700 boed) that of those in the first two Tier 1 zones.16 Similarly, within the third Tier 1 zone, more than 20 percent of wells have a productivity of below 1,000 boed.17 Although well productivity is slightly better in thicker formations (the Lower Eagle Ford), these formations also have both productive and less-productive wells. The analysis presented here is an analytical perspective to shale development and hence cannot be a replacement to sophisticated technical models. Particularly hard hit in the decline were the oil-field workers in South Texas. Earlier in his career, he also spent several years as an investment banker, negotiating M&A transactions in the energy industry. It looks like the far-sighted producers we have discussed in this article, frustrated with the takeaway difficulties in the Permian due to the rising GORs made a sound strategic move into the Eagle Ford. Because the play deepens to the northeast, well pressures increase. Ambient air monitoring results are compared to AMCVs to determine whether exposure to the measured concentrations have the potential to cause adverse health effects, odors, or vegetation effects. and 2010 as landmen were out leasing mineral Only 40 percent of completed and producing wells in the Eagle Ford (green and light green shades) are within or close to the ideal completion ranges (see figure 8). The Eagle Ford outcrop belt trends from the Oklahoma-Texas border southward to San Antonio, westward to the Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park, and the Quitman Mountains of West Texas. Some counties have experienced especially dramatic growth. Eagle Ford shale thickness varies significantly. The high percentage of carbonate makes it more brittle and fracable. The Eagle Ford Shale is a hydrocarbon-producing geological formation of significant importance due to its capability of producing both natural gas and also more oil than other traditional shale plays. formation. The green areas are where well production has typically been limited to natural gas. The U.S. portion contains 6.5 billion barrels of oil, 5.7 billion barrels of natural gas liquids,. In the Tier 2/3 zones, however, the range is much wider between the Upper and Lower Eagle Ford.28 In the Upper Eagle Ford, for example, proppant and fluid intensity is high and operators use a finer proppant mesh size of 100.29 Such a high variance confirms both challenges and opportunities in ascertaining a right completion designhigh productivity at the right intensity and costfor operators. With this method they drill a vertical well down to the rock unit, steer the well to horizontal, What can operators learn from their and peers underperformance (in terms of well productivity)? [19] Clay from this delta reached as far south as DeWitt County, Texas. Texas Oil and Gas Production for 2017 Hensleigh, D. E. (1983) Depositional setting of the Turonian Kamp Ranch Member, Eagle Ford Group, Northeast Texas: M.S. It is capeabe of producing both gas and more oil than other traditional shale plays. Shale drillers target Eagle Ford for new exploration opportunities. but these other rock units will be there when the Eagle Ford begins to deplete or when new technologies It contains a much higher carbonate shale percentage: upwards of 70% in south Texas. Then in 2010, the production rate began to increase rapidly. Certainly, this young resource merits a learning concession. There are more than 1,000 underperforming wells with perforated interval of more than 7,500 feet in both the tiers and landing zones.18 Similarly, there are about 3,000 underperforming wells with proppant loading of less than 1,000 lbs/feet.19 In fact, there is notable design divergence in nonperforming wells from the same operators, reflecting the challenges faced by many in the well delivery process. A. But does owning high-quality zones guarantee productivity for everyone? The potential drilling area of the Eagle Ford Shale is shown in green above along with the depth of the formation in feet below sea level. The Eagle Ford Group (also called the Eagle Ford Shale) is a sedimentary rock formation deposited during the Cenomanian and Turonian ages of the Late Cretaceous over much of the modern-day state of Texas. This limestone-rich unit is known as the Langtry Member of the Boquillas Formation. proceeded at a very rapid rate. Note how the trend of light ends at the border between Texas and Mexico. Map prepared using data from the United States Energy Information Administration. The share of U.S. oil produced in the Eagle Ford has also grown rapidly. | TRAIL Statewide Archive [3] The recession and declining prices interrupted development in 2009; activity picked up again in 2010. This is very competitive with other shale players. horizontal drilling could be used unlocked the potential of the Eagle Ford Shale. Ltd. Mittal has close to 12 years of experience in financial analysis and strategic research across all oil and gas subsectorsupstream, midstream, oilfield services, and downstream. Clearly, as you look at the deal slide from MRO below, the synergies become apparent. As a result, an estimated 150 m of uplift over the Sabine region caused the eastern parts of the Woodbine and Eagle Ford formations to have a subaerial exposure, which eventually resulted in their easterly erosion. Is The Eagle Ford Shale Play Getting A Second Wind? This is the cheapest area to drill in the basin and is only 4,000 feet deep. gas areas of the United States. Eagle Ford Shale: Oil & Gas Resource Surprises Geologists of about 4000 feet, the shale has been exposed to sufficient heat and pressure to convert some of the organic [10] The Kamp Ranch Limestone is found above the unconformity in the Dallas area. In this area, depths of 6,000 to 10,000 feet are seen. Vertebrate fossils that have been found in the Eagle Ford include plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, teleost fish, and teeth from sharks and other fish. Energy Data Explantory Notes and Resources. Eagle Ford Group - Wikipedia The oil window is deeper to the northeast where depths of 1,200 feet are seen. So, what really explains the underperformance of wells, both in good and not-so-good formations, and what is the size of the opportunity if underperformance is addressed? The shale is named for the town of Eagle Ford, Texas, approximately 6 miles west of Dallas, Texas, where it can be seen on the surface as clay soil. Eagle Ford News - Community News & Information - Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Shale The Eagle Ford Shale and associated rock units have quickly become one of the most successful oil and HOUSTON (Bloomberg) - The Eagle Ford shale in South Texas, long overlooked compared to its larger . This portion of the Eagle Ford is thought to have been deposited in low-energy marine But one thing that hampers their learning curve is the notion that an optimum E&C design is one with longer laterals, more proppants, more fluids, etc. Reelfoot Lake Eagle Festival Subsurface characteristics of the Eagle Ford basin and, most importantly, an ongoing trend among operators across the basins for complex yet ineffective designs, validate falling drilling activity in the Eagle Ford and affirm investors skepticism in investing in shale companies. Map prepared using data from the Energy Information Administration. The Eagle Ford began to shake off its sleepy, "end of life" reputation with Penn Virginia and Lonestar Resources merger that gave the combined company an Eagle Ford pure-play that. Eagle Ford Shale Structure Map: Outcrop area of the Eagle Ford Shale is shown in black on the map above. has been removed, An Article Titled The Eagle Ford basin playbook: Focusing on capital efficiency Inoceramus fragments and fish bones are also found in these deposits. To sum up, the relatively unfavorable response of rocks in the Eagle Ford basin requires a careful mapping of formation type with the best operating completion designs. Surles, M. A. Deposition of the Austin Chalk after this erosional occurrence caused a sealing of the East Texas petroleum reservoir and the creation of a middle Cretaceous unconformity. 2002-2023 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/eagleford, https://www.tceq.texas.gov/@@site-logo/TCEQ-logo-header.png, Automated Gas Chromatograph (AutoGC) data, Floresville Hospital Boulevard Site Information, Eagle Ford Shale information from Railroad Commission of Texas, Karnes County Automated Gas Chromatograph. if(window.innerWidth <= 1023){ Most of these wells are in Karnes and DeWitt, where strong subsurface characteristics are complementing simpler completion designs. The Eagle Ford Shale (also known as the Eagle Ford Formation) is a black calcareous shale with a high organic carbon content that underlies much of southeastern Texas. The East Texas and South Texas regions were divided by an extension of the Llano Uplift known as the San Marcos Arch. It derives its name from outcrops on the banks of the West Fork of the Trinity River near the old community of Eagle Ford,[1] which is now a neighborhood within the city of Dallas. Based on lessons learned from the TCEQs work in the Barnett Shale area, numerous activities have already been conducted or will soon take place to help the agency remain in front of any environmental issues in the Eagle Ford Shale area. It should also be noted there are other shareholder-friendly actions being taken by the company to dramatically reduce it share count over the next several years. United States Dry Shale Gas Production: The graph above shows the growth of dry shale gas production in the United States, color-coded by rock unit, since calendar year 2005. Some players with massive surface infrastructure might still do well with over-engineered wells as it brings down other cost elements but for the rest, optimizing this equation at a well level might work better. The Eagle Fords two major zonesUpper and Lowertogether drive its capacity, having a varying thickness of 100600 feet across the play.3 While the Austin Chalk reservoir, which overlies the Eagle Ford formation, was where activity in this region commenced, the lower Eagle Ford zone has mainly been the area attracting recent development (see figure 1). 37787. (1987) Stratigraphy of the Eagle Ford Group (Upper Cretaceous) and its source-rock potential in the East Texas Basin: Baylor Geological Studies Bulletin 45, Waco, Texas, 57 p. Hentz, T. F., Ambrose, W. A., and Smith, D. C. (2014). Site Help | Disclaimer | Site Policies | Accessibility | Website Archive | Our Compact with Texans | TCEQ Homeland Security of oil and natural gas production shown in the map. Recent advances in horizontal drilling technology allow companies to extract oil and natural gas from shale, bringing new jobs and growing wealth to many rural communities in South Texas. In the area Hiking the Eagle Falls Trail through the edge of Desolation Wilderness was the highlight of our trip. The analysis focuses on aggregate performance indicators across the plays. Using the tabs below, learn more about the growth in oil and natural gas production across the region and its effects on employment, income and economic activity. The high percentage of carbonate makes it more brittle and fracable. The U.S. portion contains 6.5 billion barrels of oil, 5.7 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, and 1.3 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, which together would have the potential to emit 5.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide. It begins in Laredo near the Mexico border, and extends 400 miles northeast between Austin and Houston. [11], The bottom waters of the Eagle Ford sea were anoxic during most of Eagle Ford deposition, which is related to the global Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2), or Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event, although the Texas shelf became anoxic nearly two million years prior to OAE2. To what extent has their performance been affected by their beliefs (i.e., about location or formation quality)? The Eagle Ford Shale (also known as the Eagle Ford Formation) is a black calcareous shale with a high organic carbon content that underlies much of southeastern Texas. The rocks of the Eagle Ford formation do not honor this border - they extend into Mexico and have a high development potential. Wells in the red areas typically yield oil. A., Rowe, H., Spaw, J. M., and Tur, N. (2016). Deloitte Oil & Gas professionals offer you the integrity, innovation, and insight to help you meet the most complex challenges. : Divergence and imbalance in the oil and gas ecosystem, Strategic imperatives for the refining and chemical sectors, Energy management: Paused by pandemic, but poised to prevail, Refining & marketing: Eyeing new horizons. Recent advances in horizontal drilling technology allow companies to extract oil and natural gas from shale, bringing new jobs and growing wealth to many rural communities in South Texas. View in article, US Energy Information Administration, Drilling productivity report, December 8, 2014. Trading and investing carries a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Almost $30 billion was spent developing the play in 2013. It contains very little organic matter, and abundant sea urchin fossils. This attracted an enormous amount of media attention between 2008 McNulty, C. L. Jr. (1966) Nomenclature of uppermost Eagle Ford Formation in northeastern Texas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 50, p. 375379. very low permeability. In general, Upper Eagle Ford rocks deposited during the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event (OAE2) contain much less organic matter than Lower Eagle Ford rocks, which is the reverse of organic matter trends seen in the global ocean. Night light there is a combination of electric illumination of drilling pads and natural gas flaring at some drilling sites. A function of a rocketing rig count and cracking the code of shale with fracturing. View in article, Deloitte analysis based on the Enverus Drillinginfo database, accessed June 1, 2019. Webb County remains the largest natural gas producer in the region.[2]. This is why the best wells in the play are located in Gonzales County. Tom Bonny is a leader of Deloittes North America Digital Upstream and Operations practice in Deloitte Consulting LLP.