(Photo by Tom Fox, courtesy of Oil & Gas Investor)
The Haynesville is continuing its climb back, one that shouldn’t be considered a slow climb either. According to the December 2017 U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Drilling Productivity Report, gas production in the Haynesville region has reached predownturn levels—215 Mcm/d (7.6 MMcf/d). Those production amounts haven’t been seen in the Haynesville since June 2013, when the region was producing 220 Mcm/d (7.8 MMcf/d), according to the EIA.
Although the Haynesville is still the third highest-producing shale play in North America behind the Permian Basin and the gas-producing behemoth Marcellus-Utica, its production is growing at a faster rate than the Marcellus.
Between January 2016 and January 2018, the Haynesville’s gas production increased 25%. Meanwhile, the Marcellus’ production has increased 20% during that span—although it produces almost 566 Mcm/d (20 MMcf/d) more. Production growth in the Haynesville is stemming in part by effi ciency gains. The region’s rig count has held steady since spring 2017, averaging in the mid-40s each month through year-end 2017, but has tripled since a low of 16 operating rigs in April 2016, according to the EIA.
The rigs currently in operation continue to slightly improve their per-day output, producing about 226.5 cu. m/d (8 Mcf/d), up from 218 cu. m/d (7.7 Mcf/d) in January 2018. The Haynesville slightly increased its month-over-month total production by 4 cu. m/d (148 cf/d) from December 2017 to January.
The steady growth the Haynesville experienced in 2017 comes on the heels of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released in April that reported the Bossier and Haynesville formations contain an estimated 4 Bbbl of oil, 8.6 Tcm (304 Tcf) of natural gas and 1.9 Bbbl of NGL. The updated estimates represent the largest continuous natural gas assessment the USGS has conducted.
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