EOG - ZaZa Joint Venture in the Eaglebine

ZaZa Energy Eaglebine Map
ZaZa Energy Eaglebine Map

ZaZa Energy and EOG Resources have reached terms on a joint venture (jv) targeting the Eaglebine in Grimes, Madison, Montgomery, Trinity, and Walker counties.

ZaZa is also selling Eagle Ford acreage in separate transactions. Two deals for more than 10,000 acres in the Moulton area were sold to undisclosed buyers for $52.5 million.

EOG gains 55,000 net acres or a 75% interest in 73,000 acres across ZaZa's Eaglebine position if the company elects to move forward with all three phases of the agreement. ZaZa retains 100% interest in 19,000 of it's 93,000 net acres where previous discoveries were made.

Todd A. Brooks, ZaZa’s CEO, stated “Partnering with one of the largest unconventional oil focused operators in the country validates the Eaglebine work program that has been executed by ZaZa to date. Our new joint venture will benefit from economies of scale and focus on optimizing field development and accelerating production at a reduced cost.”

EOG will operate the joint venture and will proceed in phases. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, but EOG will make cash payments and commit to drill three wells in each of the three phases. Phases two and three will go forward at EOG's election.

I bet we see the first three wells drilled by year-end and we'll know if EOG is going forward with phase two and three in early 2014. Of note, Range Resources also has an interest in portions of the acreage.

Read more about the deal at zazaenergy.com

You can also read more about the Eaglebine at our Eagle Ford Geology page

Is the Eaglebine Ready To Take Off?

Halcon Resources Eaglebine Map
Halcon Resources Eaglebine Map

Drilling results in the Eaglebine have been relatively quiet, but operators have leased aggressively in Brazos, Leon, Madison, Walker, and Grimes counties for a few years now.

Halcon Resources will be driving the charge. The company plans to spend almost $500 million and will run 5-7 rigs in the area this year. Encana plans to run a rig as well.

With a few rigs running, we'll know a lot more sooner than later. A ZaZa Energy representative shared his thoughts on the play at an AAPG meeting in San Antonio this past week.

Thomas Bowman, Geophysics at ZaZa Energy, stated "This is everything you want except for six months of production"

I take that to mean well results look promising. The main operators with permits and significant acreage include:

  • Crimson Exploration
  • Encana
  • Halcon Resources
  • EOG Resources

Read more from Jennifer Hiller at mysanantonio.com

Eagle Ford Regional Rig Count at 240 on March 22, 2013

The Eagle Ford Shale drilling rig count fell four rigs back to 240 units running this past week. We're beginning to work on a more detailed rig analysis that we'll publish in the coming weeks. We're seeing larger operators lower their rig count as drilling speeds improve, but others are stepping up to the plate and the overall rig count hasn't changed much. Our question is this - What will the rest of the year look like? We plan to share our findings soon. Thank you to Joshua Creek Ranch who hosted the EagleFordShale.com team for an upland bird hunt and a sporting clays shoot. We'll have more details about the ranch soon, but we have to agree that it's the "best quail hunting in Texas".

Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Rigs

[ic-l]The natural gas rig count fell one to 23 running this past week. That represents a NEW record low. Natural gas prices traded up during the week to $3.93/mmbtu late Friday. Trading above $4 will be a significant milestone if it is achieved in the coming weeks.

A total of 216 oil rigs are running in the region. That's three less than last week. WTI crude futures were literally flat on the week at ~$93.50/bbl Friday afternoon. NOTE - Eagle Ford crude prices are a little harder to track these days. Plains All American has stopped posting Eagle Ford prices except Eagle Ford light crude prices. Eagle Ford light traded at $90.25/bbl on March 22nd. The majority of Eagle Ford crude is very light or condensate. Those that produce a crude close to 40 degrees API gravity will continue to fetch a premium.

There are 208 horizontal rigs running in the region. That is two more than last week. An injection well is being drilled in Webb County.

La Salle County continues to lead development with 33 rigs running.

South Texas Oil & Gas News:

Be sure to visit our South Texas Oilfield Job Listings to search openings and come back weekly for updates.

Eagle Ford Rig Count by Operator

What is the Rig Count?

The Eagle Ford Shale Rig Count is an index of the total number of oil & gas drilling rigs running across a 30 county area in South Texas. The South Texas rigs referred to in this article are for ALL drilling reported by SmithBits and not solely wells targeting the Eagle Ford formation. All land rigs and onshore rig data shown here are based upon industry estimates provided by the Baker Hughes Rig Count and/or Smith Service Co's (Schlumberger) Smith Rig Count.

Eagle Ford Shale Drilling by County

Gulf Coast Oil & Gas Award Winners Announced

Oil and Gas Awards Photo
Oil and Gas Awards Photo

The inaugural winners of the Gulf Coast Oil & Gas Awards were announced this past week.

The award winners for 2012 included:

  • E&P Company – Anadarko
  • Drilling & Services Company – C&J Energy Services
  • Health & Safety Initiative – Industrial Scientific Corporation
  • Industry Supplier – Sulzer
  • Law Firm – Baker Botts LLP
  • Midstream Co – Williams
  • Trucking Co – Gold Spur Trucking

There were several others divisions and winners. You can find the full list of winners at oilandgasawards.com

Natural Gasoline From The Eagle Ford Headed North?

Mont Belvieu Factionator
Mont Belvieu Factionator

In response to growing production of light crudes and NGLs, Enterprise Product Partners (EPD) is proposing a diluent-quality natural gasoline pipeline from Mont Belvieu to delivery points in and around Chicago.

The pipeline is only proposed at this time and an open season where companies can commit to capacity will last until April 18, 2013. If enough commitments are made, the pipeline will go forward. Even if it doesn't, a market for natural gasoline is needed as production from plays like the Eagle Ford booms.

The pipeline could connect with both the Southern Lights and Cochin pipelines in the Midwest.

Read more about the open season at enterpriseproducts.com

There isn't a standard definition for natural gasoline, but consider it something between natural gas condensate and oil. Natural gasoline has a typical API gravity of 80 degrees or almost double WTI crude oil at 42 degrees. The name is a little deceiving in that you can't pump natural gasoline straight into your car. The octane content isn't high enough for modern vehicles. It can be mixed with ethanol and used as a motor fuel or it can be used as a diluent in refining processes.

P.S. Watch for pictures from beautiful Joshua Creek Ranch in our rig count article tomorrow.