It’s been a difficult news week for Permian frac sand logistics… to all our industry friends who drive these roads constantly, please be extra careful and stay safe out there. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our …
Read More »Latest Thoughts
Key Market Takeaways From RPC’s Frac Outlook & Results
RPC’s conference call this week echoed research presented in Infill Thinking’s recent stream on completions trends around pricing, materials and logistics… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you …
Read More »Frac Sand Pricing Momentum Continues To Build
For data clients, we have just posted bottoms-up analysis of nationwide frac sand mine activity for 4Q21 here. Some interesting high level takeaways have to do with NWS activity in the aggregate during the quarter…. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read …
Read More »A Red Flag In Permian Well Data + DUC Depletion Could Cause Some Heartburn Among Frac Crowd
Infill Thinking keeps members abreast of drilling trends with our weekly rig count analysis – unique takes and presentation on otherwise pedestrian rig count data… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …
Read More »Halliburton Frac Is “Sold Out”; Net Pricing Ticking Higher
Halliburton’s conference call this week echoed research presented in Infill Thinking’s recent stream on completions trends around pricing, materials and logistics… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you …
Read More »7 Key Oilfield Water Themes In 2022
We are looking forward to participating in the IN-PERSON 2nd Annual Oilfield Water Markets Conference this March 10-11 along side over 300 of the industry’s movers and shakers. If you care on water, this is the event to attend and the agenda is coming together nicely with speakers confirmed from …
Read More »Where Would $85 Oil Put The Frac Fleet Count In 2023? [Chart Of The Day]
This week, we stress tested our data models in a good way – for upside in our oil price assumptions! There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are …
Read More »NWS Production Trends – 3 Observations & 5 Key Questions Going Forward
For data clients, we have just posted bottoms-up analysis of nationwide frac sand mine activity for 4Q21 here. Some interesting high level takeaways have to do with NWS activity in the aggregate during the quarter…. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read …
Read More »New Permian Plot Twists Confirm That Water Supply Chain Is A Top Shale Issue In 2022
Water issues continue to rise in importance and we discuss what’s new this week in the full piece… Meanwhile, we are looking forward to participating in the IN-PERSON 2nd Annual Oilfield Water Markets Conference this March 10-11 along side over 300 of the industry’s movers and shakers. There, we’ll hear …
Read More »First Look At Permian Mine Activity Data [Chart Of The Day]
This week, we have an update on local sand mining activity… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership has expired, …
Read More »Delaware vs. Midland – Here’s The Set Up Coming Into 2022
Infill Thinking keeps members abreast of drilling trends with our weekly rig count analysis – unique takes and presentation on otherwise pedestrian rig count data… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …
Read More »Crane County Geyser Is Sucking Up ALL The Vac Trucks
Big water kerfuffle out in West Texas, and this time it’s not earthquake related… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your …
Read More »U.S. E&Ps Face An Uphill Battle In 2022 – Three Key Themes Could Put A Spoke In The Wheel
WTI is flirting with $85/bbl this morning. It’s a great time to be an E&P right? Not so fast my friend… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If …
Read More »Buyers Looking For Frac Sand Instead Of Sand Looking For Buyers -Texas Proppant Prices UP BIG
When frac sand pricing is on the move, Infill Thinking is your go to source… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or …
Read More »2022 Shale Well Cost Inflation Expectations Are Too Low [Chart Of The Day]
What are we hearing about well costs moving higher? What’s the next shoe to drop? What were folks expecting vs. what’s coming down the pipe? We discuss… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you …
Read More »Permian Trucking Shortage Improves 20-50%. Now A Big Freight Rate Reset Is Underway
What’s new in the trucking pain point for the frac supply chain this week? We discuss… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, …
Read More »Everybody Is Talking Up 2022 – First The Pumpers, Then The E&Ps, Now The Drillers… Who’s Next?
Rig count and frac count were exceptionally resilient through year end, with little to no holiday slowdown apparent in our market research (“little” meaning a slowdown in completions rate, not crews standing down off pads). There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read …
Read More »15 Stephen King Novel-Equivalent Hit With Our 500th Edition Milestone. Thank You For Your Readership!
Later today, we will ship out the 500th edition of Infill Thinking’s twice-weekly newsletter. It contains our 1,750th research post penned over the past 5.25 years. Research-Equivalent Of 15 Stephen King Novels Today’s latest edition takes our published word count on the website up to approximately three million words worth of …
Read More »Trucking Crunch Update Plus New CNG Trucks Roll Out In Frac Sand Land
Trucking talking points from a painfully strained week in the frac supply chain… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership …
Read More »Permian E&P Operators Begin 2022 With A Cheery Disposition
Several talking points in the E&P narrative this week stood out… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership has expired, …
Read More »In Memoriam: Scott Pegram
Many Infill Thinking readers know Scott Pegram, and it is with a heavy heart that we write this post today. Scott spent four years at Halliburton on the front lines of the frac supply chain where he managed sand logistics in the good old days before local sand (2013-2015). Then …
Read More »Shaky Ground: Railroad Commission Takes Much-Needed Stand On Oil Field Earthquakes [Guest Post]
Get up to speed fast on Permian seismicity with this thought piece from a highly qualified Infill Thinking member, Jason Jennaro, CEO of Breakwater Energy Partners. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must …
Read More »A Perfect Storm – The Last Mile Holiday Crunch Is Really Bad This Time
Every year, sand trucking is a problem from Christmas through early-January. This year it appears to be worse than normal… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are …
Read More »Frac Count & Rig Count Showed NO Seasonal Weakness As 2021 Ended
Rig count and frac count were exceptionally resilient through year end, with little to no holiday slowdown apparent in our market research (“little” meaning a slowdown in completions rate, not crews standing down off pads). There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read …
Read More »10 Frac Supply Chain Predictions For 1H2022
Happy New Year! Oil prices firmed up over the holiday break, putting the 4Q21 flash crash scare firmly in the rearview mirror. Here’s some thoughts on what’s coming next in the oilfield market place… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this …
Read More »2021 Infill Thinking Christmas Carol Release
Re-wording the holiday classics to reflect the latest oilfield trends is a Christmas tradition as old as Infill Thinking itself. Part market research, part holiday cheer; these songs capture the spirt of the season and the trends dominating the oilfield each year. This year’s Infill Thinking ballad is the sixth …
Read More »Infill Thinking’s Top 21 Market Intelligence Updates Of 2021
Well, at least 2021 was better than 2020 folks! Here’s hoping 2022 is the best year so far this decade for our oilfield friends! As we wrap up the year, here are some statistics on the member resources Infill Thinking provided during 2021 followed by a list of the most …
Read More »Permian Water Kerfuffle Heats Up With Another TX RRC Crackdown Before Year-End
The unprecedented 2021 TX RRC crackdown on SWD-induced seismicity in the Permian continues with one more big action taken by the TX Railroad Commission before year-end. This year… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »A Quick Roundup Of New In-Basin Frac Sand Plants To Watch In 2022
Sand demand is up but supply base is evolving too. Here’s how… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership has …
Read More »In 2021 The Shale Rig Count Did Something It Had Never Done Before
Infill Thinking keeps members abreast of drilling trends with our weekly rig count analysis – unique takes and presentation on otherwise pedestrian rig count data… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …
Read More »A Pressure Pumper’s Transload Table
While nerding out this week in SEC filings, we came across an interesting table… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your …
Read More »Texas Needs A Thousand More Sand Truck Drivers For 2022
A fair number of Infill Thinking members have written in or called recently about truck drivers. Specifically, folks are wondering if… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you …
Read More »Will E&P Operators Pay ESG Premiums In OFS? We Asked, And Here’s What They Said… [Chart Of The Day]
Our well-attended industry marketplace survey continues to yield insight about the year-ahead outlook… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership …
Read More »Think Permian Frac Sand Is Getting Tougher To Find Now? Just Wait Until Next Year!
In this report we shift our gaze out a bit to the full 2022 picture and think through some supply/demand points that were not addressed in several recent Permian sand situation reports from Infill Thinking… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read …
Read More »So Much For Seasonality Says The US Rig Count
Infill Thinking keeps members abreast of drilling trends with our weekly rig count analysis – unique takes and presentation on otherwise pedestrian rig count data… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …
Read More »Gauging E&P Urgency Headed Into 2022 Around 22 Key Shale Themes
Over the past couple of years, the focus on various buzzwords / topics has ebbed and flowed in E&P land. In this update, we take a data driven look at the trends in where E&Ps have focused, breaking down the intensity of conversation on 22 key themes for 2022. There’s …
Read More »Here’s What $55 WTI Would Do To Frac Sand Demand Through 2023 [Chart Of The Day]
What would $55 oil do to frac sand demand over the next 24 months? Read on brave reader to find out! There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you …
Read More »E&P Operators Expect Higher Net Pricing On Sand And Pumping In 2022 [Charts Of The Day]
Our well-attended industry marketplace survey continues to yield insight about the year-ahead outlook… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership …
Read More »Stress Testing Rig Count Forecast For Crude Volatility
Infill Thinking keeps members abreast of drilling trends with our weekly rig count analysis – unique takes and presentation on otherwise pedestrian rig count data… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …
Read More »The Eagle Ford Continues To Be A Sand Seller’s Market
Last week, we reported on the chaotic Permian sand situation lately (read about that here and here). With all the attention being paid to the West Texas sand market, we’d be remiss not to comment on the Eagle Ford as well, where…. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to …
Read More »E&P Oil Price Assumptions Give Some Comfort As Volatility Spikes During 2022 Budget Planning Season [Chart Of The Day]
Our well-attended industry marketplace survey continues to yield insight about the year-ahead outlook… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership …
Read More »2022 Outlook Survey Results Are In! [Charts & Commentary]
We are excited today to share the results of our well-attended industry marketplace survey about the year-ahead outlook… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to …
Read More »New Year Could Bring Bigger Headaches For Permian Sand Buyers…
Thinking ahead about frac sand sourcing in 2022 for the Permian Basin. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership has …
Read More »Permian Sand Problems Are Piling Up Before The New Year
Frac sand situation report for the Permian Basin. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership has expired, please email us …
Read More »How Shale Insiders Are Dealing With 2022 Cost Inflation – Real Life Mitigation Strategies
Infill Thinking membership includes some of the smartest folks in the oilfield. Here’s how the real oilfield capital allocators are actually dealing with oilfield inflation expectations for 2022. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »Overwhelming Concern Around Two Key Painpoints For 2022 Shale [Exclusive Voice Of The Industry Update]
Infill Thinking membership includes some of the smartest folks in the oilfield. Here’s what the real oilfield capital allocators are saying about the market they work in now… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »More Local Nameplate Capacity For The Permian Next Year
We have identified plans to bring online a new large-scale, permanent Permian frac sand plant – the first in quite some time… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If …
Read More »Pipe Problems: Here’s The Latest On Casing Constraints / Pricing From The OCTG Expert [Friday Guest Post]
Access to OCTG has become a critical concern in today’s oilfield and an operator said in our recent industry survey that they “might actually drop rigs due to casing shortage.” When OCTG issues or concerns come up, we know just who to call to get answers… In this update, see …
Read More »Sunny Frac Sand Demand Forecast For The Permian [Chart Of The Day]
This week, our colleagues at Lium research released their comprehensive quarterly shale data packet. For Infill Thinking readers, the latest Permian frac sand demand trends estimated in that update will probably be of interest… so here’s a chart and some key takeaways. There’s a lot more to this story… Login …
Read More »Early Voting: Our First Impressions On Key 2022 Trends As The Survey Results Pile Up
As more results flood in from our 2022 survey, we are starting to see some key trends… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill …
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