Subscribe: Newsletter | Magazine
The Barnett shale in north-central Texas lies in the Fort Worth Basin. Discovered in the 1950s, the Barnett was not commercially viable until the 1980s. Some geologists believe the formation could hold 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. A significant part of the drilling has occurred in the Fort Worth metro area, and Chesapeake Energy actually secured rights to drill beneath the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Drilling in the Barnett shale intensified in the past decade as modern horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques were perfected for drilling in shale. Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy, XTO Energy, and EOG Resources are among the larger players in the Barnett shale. Two years ago, 70% of all US gas shale production came from the Barnett, but that percentage of the total has been declining as production has risen in other plays.
EGPI Firecreek, Cubo Energy to drill in Barnett Shale
Apr 3, 2012
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based EGPI Firecreek, Inc. announced a Letter of Intent to prepare and conduct drilling programs aimed at the Barnett Formation in West Central Texas with U.K.-based Cubo Energy, PLC. |
KKR grows natural gas footprint with third Barnett Shale acquisition
Apr 2, 2012
Expanding on recent acquisitions in various unconventional resource plays across the US, energy private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP (together with its affiliates, KKR) has agreed to acquire certain Barnett Shale and Arkoma Basin properties from WPX Energy for $306 million. |
Carrizo to sell certain Barnett Shale assets to Atlas for $190M
Mar 16, 2012
Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell a portion of its properties in the Barnett Shale to a subsidiary of Atlas Resource Partners for $190 million in cash. |
EVEP acquires over $1.2B in Barnett Shale assets
Nov 3, 2011
EV Energy Partners and certain other parties related to EnerVest have signed agreements with two companies to acquire over $1.2 billion in liquids-rich Barnett Shale assets in Montague, Wise, Denton, Parker and Tarrant counties. |
Energy Transfer Partners enters Woodford, Barnett Shale midstream agreement with XTO
Oct 21, 2011
Energy Transfer Partners LP announced October 20 that it has entered into a long-term, fee-based agreement with XTO Energy to provide natural gas gathering, processing and transportation services from both the Woodford and Barnett Shale regions. |
Quicksilver Resources to create MLP with Barnett assets to reduce debt
Oct 20, 2011
Forth Worth, TX-based natural gas and crude oil exploration and production company Quicksilver Resources Inc. announced its intent October 19 to create an MLP with a portion of its Barnett Shale assets. |
Encana plans to divest its Barnett Shale properties in North Texas
Aug 25, 2011
Encana Corporation says it intends to sell its North Texas natural gas producing assets in the Fort Worth Basin located in the Barnett Shale play. |
Legend partnerships merge; close $900M Barnett Shale purchase
May 4, 2011
The Legend Natural Gas partnerships have merged into one holding company and closed on the acquisition of $900 million in Barnett Shale assets from Range Resources Corp. |
Carrizo sells Barnett Shale assets to KKR for $104M
Apr 27, 2011
Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. has agreed to sell certain Barnett Shale assets to KKR Natural Resources for $104 million. |
Legend Natural Gas acquires Barnett Shale, South TX assets for combined $1B
Mar 4, 2011
Privately-held Legend Natural Gas IV LP came forward March 3 as the purchaser of Range Resources Corp.’s Barnett Shale assets as it detailed the recent signing of two oil and gas asset acquisition agreements totaling nearly $1 billion. |
Range sells Barnett Shale assets to help fund 2011 capital spending
Mar 1, 2011
On Feb. 28, Range Resources Corp. announced its plan to sell its Barnett Shale properties in the Fort Worth Basin to a private company for $900 million. |
ONEOK Partners to invest up to $240 million in Cana-Woodford Shale and Granite Wash
Dec 15, 2010
|
GlobaLogix opens ops center to support Barnett producers
Dec 15, 2010
GlobaLogix, a Houston-based oilfield control and automation company, has opened a new operations center in Aledo, Texas to support oil and gas producers operating within the Barnett shale play. |
Italy's Eni takes Barnett knowledge to Polish shale gas play
Dec 10, 2010
Italy-based Eni SpA is entering the European unconventional gas area by agreeing to acquire Minsk Energy Resources and become operator of three licenses in the Polish Baltic Basin. |
US transactions rise in past month
Dec 1, 2010
Two of the larger deals from mid-October to mid-November were the Chevron Corp. acquisition of Atlas Energy for $4.3 billion ($3.2 billion in cash and the assumption of about $1.1 billion in debt) and Newfield Exploration's purchase and sale agreement with EOG Resources in which Newfield acquired about 50,000 net acres in the Marcellus Shale in a transaction valued at roughly $405 million.
|
The “natural gas revolution” is changing global energy dynamics, including the outlook for energy security in the United States and elsewhere. 
In his keynote speech to the annual 31st annual CERAWeek Executive Conference in Houston, Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, outlines what the industry and policymakers must do to ensure society fully leverages the many benefits of natural gas. He calls for well-targeted and robustly enforced regulations to ensure tight and shale gas production meets the highest standards. He also urges the industry to do a better job of listening and responding to public concerns about the environmental and operational challenges associated with gas production.
Read the full speech by Peter Voser here.