The booming oil and natural gas fields might be stifled by an
oppressive drought that’s restricting access to water and pitting the
energy sector against farmers and homeowners.
According to a CNNMoney story, Neal Dingmann, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Houston, said drilling could decline by 5 percent in small- to mid-size companies due to drought conditions.
More than 60 percent of the United States is suffering from drought conditions, and as a result, farmers are turning down contracts to sell water and restricting energy companies’ access to it.
“We’re having difficulty acquiring water,” Chris Faulkner, CEO of Breitling Oil and Gas, told CNNMoney.
Drillers use millions of gallons of water in the hydraulic fracturing process, which injects sand, water and chemicals underground at high pressure to release trapped oil and natural gas from shale formations.
Less water means less drilling, analysts say.
In July, Pennsylvania water regulators stopped issuing permits to natural gas drillers to siphon water from streams because of the drought, according to Reuters. The move affected about 30 companies, not all of them in the energy sector, the wire service reported.
Read more: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/08/01/drought-may-spur-a-drop-in-oil-production/
According to a CNNMoney story, Neal Dingmann, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Houston, said drilling could decline by 5 percent in small- to mid-size companies due to drought conditions.
More than 60 percent of the United States is suffering from drought conditions, and as a result, farmers are turning down contracts to sell water and restricting energy companies’ access to it.
“We’re having difficulty acquiring water,” Chris Faulkner, CEO of Breitling Oil and Gas, told CNNMoney.
Drillers use millions of gallons of water in the hydraulic fracturing process, which injects sand, water and chemicals underground at high pressure to release trapped oil and natural gas from shale formations.
Less water means less drilling, analysts say.
In July, Pennsylvania water regulators stopped issuing permits to natural gas drillers to siphon water from streams because of the drought, according to Reuters. The move affected about 30 companies, not all of them in the energy sector, the wire service reported.
Read more: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/08/01/drought-may-spur-a-drop-in-oil-production/
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