U.S. Oil Debt Eases, Meaning Drillers Target Next Shale Play

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U.S. oil and gas producers expect their borrowing ability to increase over the next few months, leaving them open to invest in new shale assets, particularly the Eagle Ford Play in Texas.

Story | Bloomberg Markets  |By Kevin Crowley | April 10, 2018 |  https://bloom.bg/2GMXJX8

That’s the conclusion of Haynes & Boone LLP, which found that more than 80 percent of respondents predict their borrowing bases, or credit availability backed by collateral, will likely increase as banks conduct their biannual reviews. That may benefit the Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk as the “next big play,” the study said.

The Eagle Ford is already an established shale play, generating about 12 percent of U.S. oil, but it’s been receiving more attention of late. While the formation produces only about a third as much crude as the Permian Basin, the country’s most prolific field, the Eagle Ford is closer to the Gulf Coast’s network of refineries and pipelines, and drilling rights are cheaper.

In March, Steve Chazen, former Occidental Petroleum Corp. chief executive officer, bought drilling rights in the Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk from EnerVest Ltd. in a deal worth $2.66 billion. KKR & Co. and Venado Oil & Gas LLC also expanded their position in the play with a $765 million purchase of Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. assets that month.

EOG Resources Inc. is the biggest producer of crude from the Eagle Ford currently. Production from the play, though, remains below its 2015 peak, according to the Energy Information Administration, potentially creating an opportunity for new entrants.

With West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. crude benchmark, up 28 percent in the past six months, pressures have been easing on debt-loaded oil producers. They’ve used that to lock in prices. About 50 to 60 percent of their 2018 production has been hedged, the survey indicated.

Producers will use cash flow from operations, bank debt and private equity as their main sources of capital this year, the survey said. Bankruptcies “are showing a dropoff,” it said.