Eagle Ford Shale on verge of drilling permit drought
The Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas is on the verge of a drilling permit drought.
Houston oil company EP Energy was the only company to file a drilling permit for a project in the region from May 20 to 26.
EP Energy, which had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, is seeking permission from the Texas Railroad Commission to drill a horizontal well on its Maltsberger-DB Trust lease in La Salle County.
The oil and natural gas well targets the Eagleville field of the Eagle Ford geological layer down to a total depth of 10,000 feet.
Record low crude oil prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic continue to take their toll on drilling permits fillings. Only 23 companies filed for 45 drilling permits in Texas from May 20 to 26.
Permian Basin
Oil major Royal Dutch Shell plans to continue its drilling program in West Texas, with five horizontal wells on a pair of leases in Loving County. All five target the Phantom field of the Wolcamp geological layer at total depths between 11,600 and 11,950 feet.
Eagle Ford Shale
There were no other drilling permit filings in the Eagle Ford Shale. Some 167 companies filed more than 2,500 drilling permits for projects in the South Texas shale play last year — an average of four dozen per week.
Haynesville Shale
Dallas oil company Aethon Energy plans to drill three new natural gas wells in East Texas. The horizontal wells would be on a trio of leases in San Augustine County targeting the Carthage field of the Haynesville geological layer down to a total depth of 14,000 feet.
Barnett Shale
The Barnett Shale of North Texas has now gone three weeks without a new horizontal drilling permit filed, but Loving oil company Don Peterson Company plans to drill a pair of vertical wells in Young County. The two wells, producing both oil and natural gas, target the Young
County Regular field down to a vertical depth of 999 feet.
Conventionals
Midland oil company Blackbeard Operating plans to drill four new vertical wells in West Texas. Located on the company’s Waddell TR A lease in Crane County, the oil and natural gas wells target the Sand Hills Field down to a vertical depth of 9,000 feet.