Hess’ Bakken gas-gathering efforts bear fruit
The company reports a remarkable shift in its oil/gas mix in the North Dakota shale play
The carbon footprint of US shale oil, particularly due to fugitive methane from lack of gas-gathering capacity, has become a hot-button topic. But it appears the efforts of US independent Hess in the Bakken shale over the past 12 months have made a significant difference to volumes of gas it is collecting from its oil output. New president Joe Biden and the environmental wing of his Democratic party have methane emissions from shale drilling firmly in their sights. Hess’ numbers should therefore be good news for the US unconventional production industry as a while. Overall, the firm’s Bakken production in Q4 2020 went up by almost 9pc from the same period in 2019, from 174,000bl/d oe to 189,
Also in this section
27 February 2026
LNG would serve as a backup supply source as domestic gas declines and the country’s energy system comes under stress during periods of low hydropower output and high energy demand
27 February 2026
The assumption that oil markets will re-route and work around sanctions is being tested, and it is the physical infrastructure that is acting as the constraint
27 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress to take place in tandem as part of a coordinated week of high-level ministerial, institutional and industry engagements
27 February 2026
The deepwater sector must be brave by fast-tracking projects and making progress to seize huge offshore opportunities and not become bogged down by capacity constraints and consolidation
