Eagle Ford Shale Rig Count Decreases by One to 267

October 6, 2014 Kirk Eggleston

The Eagle Ford Shale rig count decreased by one to 267 rigs running across our coverage area by the end of last week.

In recent news,Pittsburgh-based Atlas Resource Partners (ARP) is entering the Eagle Ford in a $225-million deal. ARP will acquire 22 producing wells and 19 undeveloped locations containing estimated net reserves of 12-million BOE, according to company officials. The seller was not disclosed.

The U.S. rig count decreased by nine to 1,922 rigs running by the end of last week. A total of 330 rigs were targeting natural gas (eight less than the previous week) and 1,591 were targeting oil in the U.S. (1 less than the previous week). The remainder were drilling service wells (e.g. disposal wells, injection wells, etc.). 895 or ~48% of rigs active in the U.S. were running in Texas.

Baker Hughes rig count is quoted here. Baker Hughes also releases its own Eagle Ford Rig Count that covers the 14 core counties (210 rigs). The rig count published on EagleFordShale.com includes a 30 county area impacted by Eagle Ford development. A full list of the counties included can be found in the table near the bottom of this article.

Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Rigs

The natural gas rig count increased by one to 16 rigs running by the end of last week. Average rig counts for natural gas production in 2012 were around 80 and then dropped to around 40 in 2013. Natural gas prices stayed relatively flat from the previous week at $4.02/mmbtu on Friday afternoon.

The oil rig count decreased by two to 251 rigs running by the end of last week. WTI oil prices stayed relatively flat from the previous week, trading at $90.15/bbl on Friday afternoon. Eagle Ford light crude traded at $87.50/bbl on Oct. 2nd.

A total of 244 rigs are drilling horizontal wells, eight rigs are drilling directional wells, and 15 rigs are drilling vertical wells. Karnes, La Salle, and Dimmit each have at minimum 28 rigs running. Karnes County has the highest rig count this week at 37. See the full list below in the Eagle Ford Shale Drilling by County below

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 Shale Drilling by County

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 Baker Hughes 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.

Juneau Energy Adds 10,264 Acres in East Texas Eagle Ford

October 3, 2014 Kirk Eggleston

East Texas Eagle Ford Counties in which Juneau Energy is Active

Juneau Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation, announced the acquisition of oil and gas leases in the emerging East Texas Eagle Ford Shale, consisting of approximately 10,264 net acres primarily in Brazos and Burleson counties. Neither the buyer, nor the purchase price for the acreage were disclosed in a company press release from mid September of this year.

“This transaction, along with the existing acreage provides a contiguous block of acreage in excess of 13,500 net acres and allows Juneau Energy to immediately begin and control the development process of these assets.”

— Juneau CEO, Brad Juneau

With other non-contiguous acreage, the company holds in excess of 15,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale play. The acquisition closed on September 17, 2014.

Juneau is a privately held acquisition and development company, with assets in East Texas and Oklahoma.

Other Recent East Texas Eagle Ford Developments

In July, Denver-based Hawkwood Energy, announced its entrance into the Eagle Ford with the acquisition of producing and non-producing assets in East Texas.

And in June, Comstock Resources Inc. announced the results of its first well drilled in its East Texas Eagle Ford Shale acreage in Burleson County, TX.

The Henry A #1H test well had a peak 24-hour average production rate of ~1,267 boe/d, with a ~80% oil cut. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 9,514 feet, and had a 6,841 foot completed lateral which was stimulated with 17 stages and 10.2 million pounds of proppant.

Atlas Resource Partners Enters Eagle Ford - $225 Million Deal

October 1, 2014 Kirk Eggleston

Pittsburgh-based Atlas Resource Partners (ARP) is entering the Eagle Ford in a $225-million deal. ARP will acquire 22 producing wells and 19 undeveloped locations containing estimated net reserves of 12-million BOE, according to company officials. The seller was not disclosed.

The producing wells are all located in Atascosa County, TX, which is the heart of the Eagle Ford oil window. The oil cut from these wells is 87%, with 7% NGLs and 6% natural gas. ARP officials did not indicate the exact county or counties for the undeveloped drilling locations.

The transaction, which has an effective date of July 1, 2014, is expected to close some time in the fourth-quarter. The company will pay $200-million of the purchase price at closing.

“We expect this transaction to immediately enhance ARP’s cash flow, distribution coverage and credit metrics, providing additional visibility and growth.”

— ARP CEO, Edward E. Cohen

In connection with the acquisition, Atlas Energy, L.P.'s (ATLS) E&P development subsidiary will purchase eight wells that have already been drilled, but are uncompleted, in the play. The $115-million purchase also includes 53 undeveloped Eagle Ford locations.

ARP is an exploration & production master limited partnership which owns an interest in over 14,000 producing natural gas and oil wells, located primarily in Appalachia, the Barnett Shale (TX), the Mississippi Lime (OK), the Raton Basin (NM), Black Warrior Basin (AL) and the oil-rich Rangely Field (CO).

Eagle Ford Shale Rig Count Increases by Four to 268

September 29, 2014 Kirk Eggleston

The Eagle Ford Shale rig count increased by four to 268 rigs running across our coverage area by the end of last week.

In recent news, The Eagle Ford Shale had an economic impact of $87-billion in 2013, according to the University of Texas at San Antonio. That’s up significantly from 2012 when university researchers determined the oilfield had a $61-billion impact.

The U.S. rig count stayed flat at 1,931 rigs running by the end of last week. A total of 338 rigs were targeting natural gas (nine more than the previous week) and 1,592 were targeting oil in the U.S. (9 less than the previous week). The remainder were drilling service wells (e.g. disposal wells, injection wells, etc.). 897 or ~48% of rigs active in the U.S. were running in Texas.

Baker Hughes rig count is quoted here. Baker Hughes also releases its own Eagle Ford Rig Count that covers the 14 core counties (207 rigs). The rig count published on EagleFordShale.com includes a 30 county area impacted by Eagle Ford development. A full list of the counties included can be found in the table near the bottom of this article.

Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Rigs

The natural gas rig count increased by three to 15 rigs running by the end of last week. Average rig counts for natural gas production in 2012 were around 80 and then dropped to around 40 in 2013. Natural gas prices increase by ~ $.15 from the previous week at $3.99/mmbtu on Friday afternoon.

The oil rig count increased by one to 253 rigs running by the end of last week. WTI oil prices stayed relatively flat from the previous week, trading at $93.47/bbl on Friday afternoon. Eagle Ford light crude traded at $89.00/bbl on Sept. 25th.

A total of 247 rigs are drilling horizontal wells, nine rigs are drilling directional wells, and 12 rigs are drilling vertical wells. Karnes, La Salle, and Dimmit each have at minimum 25 rigs running. Karnes County has the highest rig count this week at 37. See the full list below in the Eagle Ford Shale Drilling by County below

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 Shale Drilling by County

What is the Rig Count?

UTSA: Eagle Ford Shale Economic Impact - $87 Billion

September 26, 2014 Kirk Eggleston

The Eagle Ford Shale had an economic impact of $87-billion in 2013, according to the University of Texas at San Antonio. That's up significantly from 2012 when university researchers determined the oilfield had a $61-billion impact.

Estimates of the Eagle Ford's overall economic impact for the 21-county area included in the study exceeded $137-billion for 2023. That's much higher than the 2022 forecast of $89-billion reported in the previous report. The basis for this increase researchers say has to do with the exceptional production numbers in the Eagle Ford. This month, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts the Eagle Ford Shale will produce 1.51-million b/d crude oil. By 2020, consultancy Wood Mackenzie predicts production will rise to 2-million b/d. Advancements in well completions, and practices such as infill drilling will likely have an impact on production as operators continue to apply new and innovative techniques to access Eagle Ford reserves.

In addition, new manufacturing projects associated with the natural gas renaissance in the U.S., as well as new processing, refining and port facilities are factors driving increases in the economic impact statistics. Just last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave a subsidiary of Conneticut-based Castleton Commodities International the green light for the construction of new petroleum process facilities near Corpus Christi, TX. The price tag for the project is estimated at $500-million.

The study calculated the direct economic effects of oil and gas exploration, and "induced" economic activity. Stay tuned to EagleFordShale for further details and analysis of the study.