Oil and Gas Investor Magazine - September 2024

In this month’s Oil and Gas Investor, Chris Mathews, Hart Energy’s senior editor for shale/A&D, reports on producers' changing sentiments for the Midcontinent, a region that left many with a sour taste in their mouths after a decade of mismanagement and bankruptcies. But producers that stayed, like Continental Resources, Ovintiv and Mach Natural Resources, have cleaved value and cash flow from their Midcontinent assets. And as dealmaking and prices heat up in other parts of the Lower 48—namely the Permian Basin—operators are taking a hard look at what’s still left to drill in the Midcontinent.

Also, Oil and Gas Investor pays respects to legendary wildcatter Autry Stephens (1938-2024) and acknowledges his lasting impact on the industry. Lance Robertson, president and CEO of Stephens’ company, Endeavor Energy, said of his passing, “Autry embodied the wildcat mentality of courage, grit and tenacity associated with the Permian Basin.... For those who knew Autry, he enjoyed his work and his wells more than wealth or recognition.”

In the world of finance and investment, Oil and Gas Investor Editor-in-Chief Deon Daugherty reports on how banks, private equity and other lenders are shifting their focus to a new crop of self-starters in oil and gas. And Sandy Segrist, Hart Energy’s senior editor for gas and midstream, explores the shared sentiment among midstream companies this earnings season that the industry is on the verge of an “untold demand for natural gas” to power the artificial intelligence revolution.

Special OGI Report
Midcon Momentum: SCOOP/STACK Plays, New Zones Draw Interest
The past decade has been difficult for the Midcontinent, where E&Ps went bankrupt and pulled back drilling activity. But bountiful oil, gas and NGL resources remain untapped across the Anadarko, the SCOOP/STACK plays and emerging zones around the region.

In Memoriam
Autry Stephens (1938-2024)
Legendary wildcatter of the Midland Basin stayed true to his “never sell” strategy.

Finance & Investment
Private Producers Find Dry Powder to Reload
An E&P consolidation trend took out many of the biggest private producers inside of two years, but banks, private equity and other lenders are ready to fund a new crop of self-starters in oil and gas.

Midstream
Overwhelming Expectations for AI and Natural Gas
Producers and midstream companies anticipate a major boost in demand, but building up the power supply will be a complicated process.