Energy & Industry / Energy

Shale Revolution (Fracking)

Slickwater fracturing and horizontal drilling made shale rock a main source of gas and oil; US shale gas rose from 5.9% of gas output in 2006 to 23% in 2010.

Mitchell Energy achieved the first highly economic slickwater fracture in the Barnett Shale in 1998, and by 2008 94% of Barnett wells were horizontal. US crude output averaged 9.3 million barrels per day in 2017, 54% of it tight oil, and set a record of 13.6 million in 2025.