Friday, June 21, 2019

Four New Permits -- June 21, 2019

Active rigs:

$57.436/21/201906/21/201806/21/201706/21/201606/21/2015
Active Rigs6464592777

Four new permits:
  • Operators: Nine Point Energy (3): XTO
  • Fields: Squires (Williams); Beaver Lodge (Williams)
  • Comments;
    • Nine Point Energy has permits for a 3-well Shaffer pad in section 27-155-102, Squires oil field
    • XTO has a permit for a single Haustveit well in section 10-155-95, Beaver Lodge, oil field
Three permits renewed:
  • BR (2): a Cleoff permit and a Veederstad permit, both in McKenzie County
  • Whiting: a Jackman permit in Williams County

Breaking News! US Oil And Gas Rig Count Fell By 3 -- WTI Holds Steady! -- Oilprice -- June 21, 2019

Updates

Later, 3:38 p.m. CT: hallelujah! I asked for a bit more granularity on "that one rig," and Rigzone via Twitter provided the information. The nation's oil rig count increased by one last week -- it was in Texas. The nation's number of natural gas rigs declined. By four. Texas has dropped several rigs in a row. One will have to visit the article which I am not linking to see if these are natural gas rigs, oil rigs, or both.


Original Post 

Link here.


In fact, oil prices surged today, WTI up 32 cents at time story was initially posted, now up 59 cents/bbl. The increase was despite the fact that the number of active oil rigs actually increased. The decline was in natural gas rigs. This begs the question, of course: in the Permian, Eagle Ford, and Bakken, is every well drilled with two rigs: one for oil and one for natural gas?

The number of active oil rigs in the US increased by one, week-over-week.

Generally, an increase in the number of oil rigs is seen as a driver for lowering oil prices, but apparently not today, as the number of oil rigs increased by one, and the price of oil actually surged by 32 cents (WTI), at the time the story was first posted. Since then, the surge has continued, up 59 cents/bbl as this is being typed. That one oil rig will result in increased oil production and that should drive the price of oil down despite the tensions in the Mideast as adversaries prepare for all-out war. At least three of the adversaries have nuclear weapons and a fourth is well on its way to having nuclear weapons.

Year-to-date, the oil rig count has fallen from 877 active rigs since the beginning of the year to 789.

Despite the rig decline year-on-year, US production is still almost 2 million barrels per day higher year-on-year. And, you know, that drop is the number of active rigs is not trivial. From 877 to 789 that represents a decrease of more than 10% -- and that's just from the beginning of this year. And yet, US production has increased almost two million bopd year-over-year.

So, the overall rig count (oil and gas) reached its lowest point since February, 2018, and US production is higher by almost two million bopd year-over-year.

Who wudda thought?

I wonder if we could get a little more granularity on that one oil rig -- was it in the Bakken, in the Permian, or elsewhere?

Disclaimer: I often misread articles. There may be typographical and/or factual errors in this post. If this is important to you, go to the source.

This post has been tagged with "humor." Mostly because I don't yet have a tag for "sarcasm."

By the way, that jump in "OPEC basket" is a function of reporting. The "OPEC basket" is a 3-day delay according to the source. The jump in the OPEC basket occurred shortly after the US drone was downed by the Iranians but was not recorded until now due to that "3-day delay."

Notes From All Over -- Part 3 -- June 21, 2019

What? Me, worry?


I'm still not following the  market much any more, not during this volatility (China-US tariffs). Checking in on a few independent oil companies, but that's about it.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

Natural Gas -- A Reader Comments -- June 21, 2019

I'll never be able to find it, but two or three years ago I mentioned in passing that my focus on oil had caused me to miss a much bigger story: natural gas. At the time, I said in passing that it was my hunch that this would be the decade (starting in the mid-20-teens) of natural gas.

Earlier today I made another passing reference to that thought about natural gas being the "big" energy story this next decade.

Today, a reader who writes me often about natural gas sent me this note:
Quick background ... 4 years or so ago, I started focusing on the Appalachian Basin region as the production numbers being thrown about seemed outlandishly high.

This interest segued into an exploration first of the gas world in toto and then, more specifically, into the rapidly evolving realm of LNG.

The hardware such as Floating Storage and Regassification Units (FSRUs), small and mid scale LNG plants, containers to both transport and store LNG via truck, rail, barge and ship are ALL prompting the swift transition to natgas as a fuel/energy source.
(Today's HH price of $2.16/mmbtu means the heat energy in natgas is about ONE FIFTH the equivalent energy in oil form).
Data points ...

Pakistan is installing its 3rd FSRU terminal shortly after bringing its first 2 online.

Bangladesh is quickly setting up its 2nd FSRU.

Brazil is soon to bring online the huge (1,500 Mw) Sergipe power plant - biggest gas plant in South America - using fuel from its just- installed FSRU. Two more FSRUs are planned for Belem and Santa Catarina.
Poland setting up an FSRU as is China.

India is planning on possibly an FSRU in all of its ports.

Even Kaliningrad - Kaliningrad!!! - is setting up an FSRU!

Port Kembla, Australia, building $170 million LNG terminal ... expected to take 16 months ... deploying an FSRU ... and - get this - very possible that the LNG could come from USA. Truly a coals to Newcastle situation.

Abundant, economical supply ensures an ongoing transition to natgas for decades to come.
By the way, my hunch is that the reader would suggest that BP's 2019 statistical estimate of US natural gas reserves is again way too low.

By the way -- did you note that comment about transporting LNG by truck. We talked about that earlier this week -- that it might even happen in the Bakken. 

Legacy Fund: June, 2019, Deposit Exceeds Annual Average For Every Year But Two -- June 21, 2019

Legacy fund is tracked here.