Industry: Upstream and E&P

In the August 2025 edition of the ADI Newsletter, U.S. shale expertise is highlighted as a driving force behind global growth in unconventional oil and gas. Natural gas and LNG have become central to energy strategies worldwide, influenced by AI, data centers, energy security, and reshoring. Moreover, the plastics industry is rapidly evolving toward sustainability […]

The U.S. oil and gas industry is seeing a renewed interest in refracturing (refracs), a process that re-stimulates existing wells to boost productivity. This is especially true as Tier 1 drilling locations become harder to find. Refracs aren’t new, but recent technological advancements and compelling economics are making them a vital part of operators’ strategies. […]

We recently wrote about litigation around produced water and its critical mineral content. That is not the only lawsuit surrounding water management. Shale independent Stateline Operating is seeking $180 million in damages from operator Devon Energy and water treatment services provider Aris Water Solutions. It alleges that the large volume of wastewater injection led to contamination […]

As the global oil and gas industry adapts to slower demand growth and increasing pressure to decarbonize, Africa is quietly reasserting itself as a frontier for upstream exploration. As seen in Exhibit 1, oil reserves in Africa have been concentrated in a few producers, particularly Libya, Nigeria, and Algeria. Exhibit 1. Oil reserves by the […]

On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC. It declared that produced water is oil & gas waste and therefore belongs to the hydrocarbon lessee i.e. oil & gas operator typically. This landmark decision clarifies that the right to produce oil & gas inherently includes […]

In the mid-2010s, clients worldwide sought ADI’s help to replicate shale’s success. I spoke at conferences in the UAE, Australia, India, Thailand, and Europe on developing unconventional resources domestically. Sadly, many efforts failed, and unconventional resource development has only recently picked up outside the U.S. most notably in Argentina, China, and Australia. International players and some […]

SLB announced its plan to acquire ChampionX in April last year. A key driver for this deal was ChampionX’s artificial lift technologies (along with its production chemicals business), which will help SLB better position itself to serve growing production optimization needs from declining oil and gas assets globally. This will be especially critical in the […]

The oil & gas and chemical industries are at an inflection point. For years, growth was a given, but a new era, one characterized by a structural decline in capital and operational spending, is starting to take shape. Recent trends of slowing oil demand growth, oversupplied markets, and shrinking chemical margins as shown in exhibit […]

The United States has become a top player in global energy, especially in ethane exports. This position comes from its large domestic supply, good prices, and significant investments in export facilities, all supported by long-term contracts with international buyers. U.S. upstream and midstream players currently export about 0.5 million barrels per day (MMBPD) of ethane, which is […]

Before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, ADI published an article analyzing the potential shifts in U.S. energy markets and policy under a second Trump administration. We noted that, in his second term, President Trump might ease some methane emissions regulations. Fast forward to today, President Trump signed a joint Congressional resolution repealing the Waste Emissions Charge (WEC) […]

The oil and gas industry has come a long way since the first mechanically drilled wells, which were roughly 69 feet deep. From Edwin L Drake’s team striking oil at 69.5 feet in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859, to today’s Permian Basin producers drilling wells over 3,000 feet in vertical depth and exceeding 25,000 feet in […]

Natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), once touted as a bridge fuel to a low-carbon renewable energy-powered future, are now increasingly seen as a permanently central part of the evolving global energy landscape. Factors such as explosive growth in AI and data centers in the U.S. and elsewhere, energy security concerns in Europe and […]