If This Is Friday, I Must Be In Salina, Kansas

Active rigs (in North Dakota): 185 (steady, trending up)

RBN Energy: another great essay -- this time on NGL / condensates.

This is Part 1 of a two part series looking at the gap between surging condensate supplies and market demand. In this episode we start with a few definitions and then detail growing US condensate production. In Part 2 we tackle the demand side of the equation. Much of the material in this blog is adapted from a presentation Rusty made to the 3rd Annual Platts NGL Conference in Houston at the end of September (2013).

If you are new to condensates then before we get going we should point out a number of previous RBN Energy posts on this topic that you might want to check out in conjunction with this one. At the end of last year we provided some early definitions and looked at regulatory issues around condensates in our “Fifty Shades of Condensate” series including “Which One Did You Mean?”, “What Should be Done With Condensates?” and “Where is All This Condensate Going?” Earlier this year Al Troner of APPEC consulting contributed a couple of blogs on the market for condensates outside the US including some comprehensive definitions (see Through The Looking Glass). And there have been others on specific topics that (as usual) we will provide links to as we go along.

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A Note To The Granddaughters

I am near/in Salina, Kansas, enjoying a wonderful drive. I left about 6:30 pm last night from the Fort Worth, TX, area, driving all night, cruise control at 59 mph and taking two naps along the way. Lots and lots of truck traffic up and down this mid-continent energy corridor. It really is quite incredible. Got first aroma of natural gas in the Oklahoma City city, then lots of rigs in the Edmonds area. I like to think they were all CLR rigs, but probably not. No flaring that I could see in the immediate area.

This has been the most difficult trip for me so far in terms of memories. I wear my emotions on my sleeve, as they say, and I have lots of memories relating to Oklahoma City. Traveling alone gives one too much time, sometimes, to think. But this morning, doing much better.

Again, I was reminded that the best country music on the radio is found in Oklahoma and Kansas. When I was growing up in Williston, I wasn't listening to country music. In the evening, and sometimes late into the night, we would listen to KOMA, Oklahoma City, the best 1960's rock station. I see KOMA has its own wiki page.

[Wow, it looks cold and wet out there -- outside McDonald's, here in/near Salina, Kansas. Old-time next to me says it's time to get the snow-blower out; it looks like snow. This will be a short stop to be followed by a longer stop later this morning. I feel wide awake. One's natural corticosteroid hits rock bottom between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m., making it difficult to stay away. But now, the corticosteroids have surged making this a great time to drive.]