Drilling

Wow! Pragmatism! Driven by physics, economics and, yes, even politics. It’s clear that 2025’s reset will carry into 2026, and energy markets are breathing a collective sigh of relief. So what does this renewed tilt toward fossil fuels mean for markets? Today, our Prognostications for 2026.

Wow! Pragmatism! Driven by physics, economics and, yes, even politics. It’s clear that 2025’s reset will carry into 2026, and energy markets are breathing a collective sigh of relief. So what does this renewed tilt toward fossil fuels mean for markets? Today, our Prognostications for 2026.

Well, 2025 is now in the books, allowing us time for reflection, resolution-making and pretending we always knew how the year would turn out. And unlike many, we also look into the rear-view mirror to see how we did with last year’s predictions. That’s what we’ll do in today’s blog.

Drilling techniques originally developed to unlock oil and gas from shale formations are increasingly being adapted to access and extract heat from deep underground rock formations, enabling the generation of electricity from geothermal sources. And while geothermal’s share of total U.S. electricity generation remains quite small, it may be poised to accelerate, opening up new opportunities for companies in the oil and gas sector. In today’s RBN blog, we explain the basics of geothermal energy, its main advantages and drawbacks, and how U.S. expertise in oil and gas comes into play. 

Since its beginning in western Pennsylvania 166 years ago, the oil and gas industry has been on a relentless quest to unlock more hydrocarbons. And for years, the focus has been on drilling more productively, not just drilling more wells. The techniques that have evolved since the start of the Shale Revolution have led to rapid increases in the length of horizontal laterals, boosting initial production (IP) rates — a critical development but posing new challenges for drillers. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss why longer laterals in horizontal wells aren’t the answer in every shale play, the advantages of the two types of tubing used in those wells, and how they can help boost productivity. 

Much like a cowboy venturing into uncharted territory, E&Ps are roaming Northeast Texas and the far-western sections of the Haynesville Shale in search of more natural gas. It’s a challenging adventure, and while there’s a lot of hope and hype, the recent history of developments outside the Haynesville’s main producing areas shows that success is far from guaranteed. In today’s RBN blog, the second in a series on the Western Haynesville, we’ll discuss how some companies are handling the high-pressure, high-risk environment. 

With just a few days left in office, President Biden on January 6 made a final effort to shape U.S. energy policy and development by permanently banning new oil and gas drilling across more than 625 million acres of coastal waters. Using an obscure provision of a 1953 law, the Outer Continental Land Shelf Act (OCLSA), the president signed an executive order banning future drilling in federal waters off the Eastern Seaboard, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the West Coast and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska. The ban is largely just for show, but in today’s RBN blog we’ll discuss why it might cause headaches for the “drill, baby, drill” Trump administration.