Schlumberger's HiWAY Technology -- Update -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Link here, from the 3Q11 conference call.

In the Reservoir Production Group, deployment of HiWAY technology in the pressure pumping market continues to grow. In North America, the number of customers using HiWAY had grown from 2 only a year ago to more than 20 today, and we completed over 800 stages during the quarter in this market alone. HiWAY continues to deliver higher gas and liquid production, while using significantly less water and proppant compared to conventional fracturing systems. This provides us with significant pricing and cost leverage versus our competitors, a factor that will become even more important when the North America pressure pumping market eventually become saturated with hydraulic horsepower. I would also add that HiWAY is starting to gain momentum in the international markets, including Russia, North Africa and the Middle East.

I blogged about the HiWAY technology back in May of this year.

There are so many aspects to fracking, I can only think that this whole area (fracking) will result in some very interesting developments over the next few years. They have been doing horizontal drilling for a very long time, and fracking for a long time, but the pace of horizontal fracking has taken off since 2008 and the Bakken has been the laboratory.

As a reminder, SLB is building a huge new complex west of Williston. I've posted photos of its progress. It's pretty much enclosed now so they can finish it indoors this winter. Who knows, maybe they will reconfigure it to house 10,000 HAL employees. The lone men's room and the lone women's room might be a problem, but SLB wouldn't tell HAL that until after the lease was signed. Smile.