Enverus

An economic downturn and global pandemic are among many issues US midstream operators are dealing with in 2020, including exposure to upstream bankruptcies, limited M&A activity, and regulatory issues.

Crude oil and natural gas prices may recover moving into 2021, albeit at different rates brought on by a variety of market dynamics. Geopolitics and the potential for another wave of COVID-19 cases and resulting lockdowns still pose a threat to the industry.

Shale producers proved they could pump out record volumes of oil by drilling horizontal wells and then fracturing them intensively. Now the industry needs to find buyers for many wells and acreage with hard-to-determine values.

A recovery in the energy industry is key to the oilfield water sector in the Permian. But the industry must address issues such as further research, regulatory changes, and technology.

The provider of subscription-based analytics services for the North American oil and gas sector continues its streak of purchasing data-focused firms.

Concho Resources and Enverus say turning to automated software for tracking invoices could save the upstream business many millions of dollars.

As capital markets dry up and shale producers look for pathways to growth, oil and gas data analytics firm Enverus predicts the US sector will see a “surge” in mergers and acquisitions in 2020.

The current M&A market is characterized by an increase in private capital, geographical diversity, and a variety of transaction types, including joint ventures and royalty deals.

Figuring out how far apart to place horizontal wellbores remains one of the biggest challenges facing the future of the shale revolution. One roadblock appears to be the way in which the sector has traditionally measured these distances.