Larry Nichols, chairman of Devon Energy Corp., kicked off Hart Energy Publishing’s 3rd annual DUG conference (Developing Unconventional Gas) in Fort Worth this week. Nichols talked to a packed house of more than 700 attendees about Devon’s past accomplishments in the phenomenal Barnett shale play. He said the best was yet to come. Devon will achieve net production of 1 Bcfe per day from the Barnett shale this year. Nichols said that original gas in place is calculated at 147 billion cubic feet per square mile, a fabulous resource that is far richer than seen in other commercial shale plays. The company has upped its estimate of potential recoveries from the shale, as a result of improved technologies. It believes that downspacing of horizontal wells, to as close as 20 acres, and refracs of existing horizontal producers, offer it economic development opportunities for years to come. Devon has 7,500 risked Barnett shale locations in inventory, which would last 13 years at its current activity level. For more details, view Devon's slide show on its website by clicking here. by Peggy Williams, Senior Exploration Editor, Oil and Gas Investor Contact me at pwilliams@hartenergy.com