Shale drillers eye return to growth as oil price picks up
Companies are holding off until prices recover to $65 per barrel
As oil prices have recovered in recent weeks, oil market watchers have been trying to work out when US shale producers might start turning on the taps again. They got some answers this week. EOG Resource' chief executive Bill Thomas told analysts that his company was still waiting on the sidelines, drilling wells but leaving them uncompleted, until prices recovered. But he added that if WTI prices stabilised at around $65 per barrel (b), EOG could resume "strong double-digit growth.'" Whiting Petroleum's chief executive James Volker said that his company, which is a leading producer in the Bakken, would probably started adding rigs if the oil price rose to around $70/b. EOG and Whiting are a
Also in this section
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
14 January 2026
Leading economies in the region are using oil and gas revenues to fund mineral strategies and power hyperscale computing
14 January 2026
The South American country offers stable, transparent and high-potential opportunities and is now ready for fresh exploration and partnership
13 January 2026
Across Europe, countries have grappled with balancing ambitious energy transition plans with realities about security of supply
