Past and Present

The Barnett Shale is an excellent example of a development play that began modestly but accelerated rapidly as a long-term rise in gas prices and new technology made the area more economical for oil and gas operators to develop. Many operators had drilled for oil in the area in shallower formations that lay above the Barnett Formation.

The field was only discovered in 1981 when independent pioneer Mitchell Energy drilled the first well. In 1998, a change in technology used to complete gas wells was introduced, and a dramatic boom began in January, 2002, when Devon Energy completed the acquisition of Mitchell Energy. Devon Energy’s success largely derives from their development of light sand water fracturing, a technology that fractures the shale so that natural gas can be extracted and permits efficient natural gas development from the field. Today, Devon Energy operates more then 2,200 wells in the Barnett Shale. Public Affairs for Devon Energy, has recently commented that the Barnett Shale “has rightfully emerged as the largest natural gas field in Texas and one of the most important fields in the nation.”

 

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The Barnett Shale

Formation of the Barnett Shale

Majors on the move