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The Cotton Valley subsurface formation is a tight gas play in Northeast Texas and Northwest Louisiana located just above the Haynesville/Bossier Shale. It is Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous in origin and consists of sandstone, limestone, and shale. The depth of the Cotton Valley formation is roughly 7,800 to 10,000 feet. Although it is mainly a natural gas play, some oil has been produced in parts of the Cotton Valley.
Some of the more active producers in the Cotton Valley are Petrohawk Energy, Goodrich Petroleum, Exco Resources, Forest Oil, XTO Energy (now part of ExxonMobil), Questar, Penn Virginia, Cabot Oil & Gas, Devon Energy, and El Paso Corp.
Investor group to gain shale play acreage with Samson acquisition
Nov 23, 2011
An investor group consisting of KKR, NGP, Crestview Partners and Itochu Corp., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Samson Investment Co., one of the largest private exploration and production companies in the US, for $7.2 billion. |
Sun River shale well has Haynesville, Cotton Valley potential
Dec 8, 2010
Dallas-based Sun River Energy began drilling activities in compliance with the terms of its farmout agreement with Devon Energy Production Co. LP. The well, in Panola County in East Texas, is permitted to 12,000 feet in the Carthage Field to test the Haynesville Shale. The company expects to encounter commercially productive zones in the Travis Peak and Cotton Valley geological formations. |
Range Resources acquires Cotton Valley interest, plans 20 well program
Jun 28, 2010
In June 2010, West Perth, Australia-based Range Resources acquired a 13.56% interest in roughly 1,570 gross acres in the Cotton Valley located in Red River County, Texas, for US$254,000. |
Patara, Contango partner to develop Cotton Valley reserves
Oct 25, 2009
Houston-based Patara Oil & Gas LLC signed a joint venture agreement with Houston-based Contango Oil & Gas Co.'s wholly-owned subsidiary, Conterra Co. to develop proved undeveloped Cotton Valley gas reserves in Panola County, Texas. |
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.