Outlook Live: Trouble brews for US shale
Global energy demand will recover as the pandemic recedes, but production in the Lower 48 may already have reached its apogee
US onshore shale may have already hit peak production and could struggle to ever match pre-pandemic growth levels, according to a panel of experts on a PE Live webcast late last week. “I think the expectation is that US onshore production will remain flat, perhaps grow slightly, and that is mainly a function of access to capital and what investors want,” says Bobby Tudor, chairman at US bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Over the past year, the EIA recorded a 1.43mn bl/d plunge in Lower 48 oil production—at its worst sinking to 8mn bl/d—as the pandemic triggered demand destruction and sunk global commodity prices. Since the worst of the economic lockdown ended in May, US production has gr
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
