Re: NR Started fracing--- Release - why only 4 fractures?
in response to
by
posted on
Sep 17, 2009 09:01PM
Developing large acreage positions of unconventional and conventional oil and gas resources
>XOM is not going to release a lot of details.
I agree, Exxon won't say much. That's why I like to keep an eye on what their contractors have to say. Sometimes their comments can be quite interesting. For example, we know from pictures that Schlumberger was doing the work on the Hod-1. On July 18th equipment was being set up. On July 24th, Schlumberger had their Q2 conference call, and was asked about Unconventional gas outside of North America.
Wagar Syed - Tristone Capital
Okay, and then on [unconventional] gas outside of North America, what are you seeing in terms of activity and how do you -- when do you think it’s going to become a material business?
Andrew F. Gould
Well, I think that there’s no one answer. For example, you can see already that a lot of the coal bed methane work in Australia is already being tendered. If you are talking about shale gas, North America type, the cost of development overseas is going to be very different from what it is in North America. And the chief reason is because North America already has the most developed oil field service infrastructure in the world and therefore rigs, frac fleets, water carriers, all the rest -- and the availability of water for this business is something that’s very well understood, whereas that is -- with perhaps the possible exception of Germany and Austria, that is not at all the case overseas and therefore we think it will happen but we don’t think it’s something that’s going to spread everywhere very fast. If it does start reasonably quickly, we think it’s probably going to be in Eastern Europe.