Here is this week’s industry news & analysis…
News Digest
WTI Back To $66/bbl!
Oil prices rose to a seven-week high on Wednesday as markets assessed the outcome of U.S.-China trade negotiations, while pessimism over U.S.-Iran nuclear talks also provided support.
Volt Lithium to Commission Mobile Direct Lithium Extraction Unit in North Dakota's Bakken Region
Volt announces the upcoming final assembly and deployment of its proprietary mobile Direct Lithium Extraction ("DLE") unit in North Dakota’s Bakken region, with commissioning scheduled for the second half of June 2025. The company sees Bakken potential of up to 50,000 tonnes of LCE annually, nearly 3x higher lithium concentration compared to the Permian.
Reuters: New Texas wastewater rules could boost costs for oil producers
New guidelines on permitting for wastewater disposal wells in Texas are threatening to drive oil producers' costs higher as companies face weak crude prices, marking the latest challenge for the industry that has seen output growth slow as it matures.
Can fracking wastewater be reused?
New Mexico’s legislators are eager to repurpose “produced water,” but environmental organizations say that there is no safe way to do that.
Texas Tightens the Rules—But Your Permitting Doesn’t Have to Slow Down
B3's SIP database is powered by a machine learning model, with historical data that’s calibrated to bottom-hole pressure measurements and updated every month. It gives you an accurate, estimation of formation pressures—so you can plan, permit, and inject with more confidence.
WATER TALENT POOL: Opening At Tetra Technologies
"As a Project Engineer, you will work closely with our team to advance and strengthen our TETRA Oasis Total Desalination Solution (TDS), an end-to-end water treatment and desalination solution for re-use and mineral extraction applications for produced water from oil and gas wells."
WATER TALENT POOL: Opening At XRI
XRI is looking for an experienced Contracts Specialist to join their team in Houston or Midland.
Texas Railroad Commission gets $100M boost for plugging wells, tech upgrades
Texas legislators delivered some good news to the Railroad Commission during the just-ended session. Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick said legislators approved $100 million in additional funding to plug abandoned and orphaned wells. “We’re excited to put that to use,” she said.
Produced Water: One Man’s Garbage is Another Man’s Gold
It will take time to figure out which solutions to the produced water problem scale up the best. Good legislation is going to be crucial, experts say.
Pittsburgh Water signs 15-year lease for new operations center at former Heinz facility
Pittsburgh Water is preparing to move into a new 127,000-square-foot operations center where soup and other foods were once produced on the North Side of the Allegheny River.
New Speakers Added To Marcellus Water Conference Aug 5th!
Check out the impressive line up...
Pennsylvania Fracking Company Surrenders Water Permits Over Concerns About Stream Flow
PennEnergy Resources asked the state’s Department of Environmental Protection in April to rescind its permits for 1.5 million gallons a day from the Big Sewickley Creek in Beaver County near Pittsburgh, saying the creek would not likely provide enough water for eight horizontal wells it plans nearby.
XTO Energy Dinged by PA DEP for Failure to Restore Water Sites
On May 20, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued notices of violations to XTO Energy, Inc. (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) for failing to restore five multi-million gallon shale gas freshwater impoundments it used to support fracking operations in Butler County.
Officials weigh final decision on giant petroleum storage caverns
A controversial plan to build two giant caverns to store propane and butane beneath the community of Gibbstown, N.J., on the Delaware River is going through its final public scrutiny. And it is hearing plenty from those hoping to stop it.
Fervo Energy Drills 15,000-FT, 500°F Geothermal Well, Pushing the Envelope for EGS Deployment
This successful appraisal well paves the way for new productivity records for the geothermal energy industry.
From Pressure to Purpose: Rethinking Produced Water in the ESG Era
I want to start with a simple question: Why are we still treating produced water like waste when it could be a resource?
What a Podcast Taught ME about Produced Water’s Untapped Potential
What if I told you that a billion gallons of water per day — just from one region — could be a game-changer for water sustainability?
FOR SALE: Package of Six (6) New Mexico SWD's in Lea & Eddy County
These SWD's can be packaged in groups or sold individually.
Permian Oil Producers Face Higher Costs With New Saltwater Rules
The amended guidelines limit maximum injection pressure at the surface and limit how much water can be injected based on reservoir pressure.
Oil companies win protections from Texas Legislature ahead of selling fracking water
State Rep. Drew Darby’s House Bill 49 — on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott — marks a step the oil and gas industry has said is a key barrier to expanding the treatment of the brine it generates, known as produced water, and making it available for reuse.
Abbott signs bills to support oil and gas industry, foster economic growth
Gov. Greg Abbott signed pro-growth bills into law on Thursday to support the oil and natural gas industry and promote economic growth in west Texas.
EPA proposes giving Texas authority to oversee carbon capture and storage projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed approving Texas' request to oversee its own permitting for projects to inject carbon dioxide underground, a move long sought by the state's regulators and oil and gas companies with pending projects, such as Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY), Reuters reported Monday.
Pipeline spill in northwest North Dakota releases over 3 million gallons of brine
Continental Resources staff discovered the spill about 16 miles northeast of Williston and notified state regulators, said Marty Haroldson with the Division of Water Quality.
New agreement with FrontRange H2O brings cutting-edge underground water storage to Northern Colorado
In a strategic move to safeguard water resources for future generations, the Fort Collins–Loveland Water District (FCLWD) has become the first official Northern Colorado partner in the Vita H2O Project, an innovative water supply and storage initiative developed by FrontRange H2O. The project aims to build regional resilience by providing an on-demand, underground water reserve that can supplement the supply during droughts and periods of peak demand.
Produced Water Beer???
Jerry Pohl writes about the best reuse case for produced water yet - beer brewed with treated produced water! You could call it:
Reclaimed Rapids: Evokes a sense of natural flow and renewal.
Wastewater Wonders: Highlights the unexpected source and positive outcome.
Permian Pilsner: A direct and informative name.
The Purified Pour: Emphasizes the treatment process and purity of the water.
Produced Water Poetry???
Produced water, born of fracking’s fervent thrust,
Over 25 million barrels daily, surging forth unclaimed,
In Permian’s heart, where rigs like sentinels stand,
Thou art both boon and burden, lifeblood and lament.
...click to read the rest...
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