Well stimulation service providers are expressing optimism about an expanding 2014 Eagle Ford market.

Field surveys conducted during the first week of December by Hart Energy revealed high expectations for improved business levels in 2014 on the basis of larger capital spending among operators as well as organic growth in the still-developing shale play.

The evolving nature of the play is evident in the wide range of pricing for well stimulation as operators experiment with the number of stages per lateral, lateral length and a spectrum of completion techniques.

Average price per stage was quoted at $84,375 based on an average vertical depth of 9,550 feet and a 5,360-foot lateral with 25 stages. However, operators are still searching for optimum production rates, leading to variations in the volume of proppant and specific completion techniques, with prices per stage ranging from $75,000 to $100,000.

Service providers identified more than 70 frac fleets in the play spread among 26 service providers in what was described as a competitive market. Service providers cited regional pressure-pumping capacity of more than 1.5 million units of hydraulic horsepower.

Despite expectations of an expanding Eagle Ford market in 2014, a majority of service providers in the telephone survey see the region as adequately supplied with pressure-pumping equipment with a few noting capacity remains excessive. Improving demand for services can easily be met by underutilized capacity in the region, respondents noted.

Consequently, expectations for pricing improvement are mostly nonexistent through the first quarter of 2014, although one service provider indicated his firm would push for a 10% increase. Respondents noted that well stimulation prices have stabilized after a steady decline over the past couple of years as overcapacity became an issue in the play.

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