美國油井重新壓裂作業正在興起

對現有頁巖井進行重新壓裂作業的成本比鉆新井成本低40%

重新壓裂作業還可以幫助美國頁巖鉆井公司進一步增加現金流

據美國油價網6月27日報道，路透社報道說，由于頁巖生產商尋求在避免大舉投資新井的情境下提高產量，美國的油井重新壓裂作業正在興起。 

重新壓裂作業似乎是調和股東們對更高回報的堅持和聯邦政府在供應緊張時期提高石油產量的呼吁的一種方式。供應緊張導致原油和成品油（主要是燃料）價格雙雙上漲。

根據路透社報道，現有井的重新壓裂作業的成本比鉆新井的成本低40%。一位水力壓裂行業高管告訴路透社，重新壓裂作業還可以使現有井的產量增加兩到三倍。 

盡管基準油價大幅上漲，但由于設備、勞動力和原材料的普遍短缺，提高了生產成本，經濟性對頁巖鉆井公司來說已經變得非常重要。路透社援引得克薩斯州卡倫石油公司發布的數據稱，這一數字比一年前增加了約20%。

重新進行壓裂作業還可以幫助美國頁巖鉆井公司進一步增加現金流，這將比更高的股息更讓股東們高興。 

根據沙特拉赫杰資本銀行最近的一份報告，今年第一季度，美國頁巖生產商從每口井獲得的現金從去年第四季度的23美元上升到34美元。  

路透社報道指出，這仍遠低于頁巖鉆井公司在2020年第一季度每口井獲得的51美元，但補充稱，這仍“在油價較高的情況下提供了足夠的緩沖來提高生產水平”。

過去12個月，美國原油價格上漲了約40%，但美國國內石油日產量仍比2020年初的創紀錄的1280萬桶低約100萬桶。

李峻 編譯自 美國油價網

原文如下：

U.S. Shale Drillers Begin Re-Fracking Existing Wells

Oil well re-fracking is on the rise in the United States.

Re-fracking of existing shale wells can cost up to 40 percent less than drilling a new well.

Re-fracking could also help U.S. shale drillers boost their cash flow further.

Oil well re-fracking is on the rise in the United States as shale producers seek to boost production without making significant investments in new wells, Reuters has reported.

Re-fracking appears to be a way to reconcile shareholder insistence on higher returns and calls from the federal government to increase oil production at a time of tight supply, which has led to higher prices for both crude oil and refined products, chiefly fuels.

According to the report, re-fracking of existing shale wells can cost up to 40 percent less than drilling a new well. It can also double or triple the output of an existing well, one fracking industry executive told Reuters.

Economy has become important for shale drillers despite much higher benchmark oil prices because of widespread shortages of equipment, workforce, and raw materials that have increased production costs. These are up about 20 percent from a year ago, according to Callon Petroleum, a Texas-based company, as cited by Reuters.

Re-fracking could also help U.S. shale drillers boost their cash flow further, which would make their shareholders even happier than higher dividends.

According to a recent report by Saudi bank Al Rahji Capital, cash per well for U.S. shale producers rose to $34 per barrel in the first quarter of this year, from $23 per barrel in the last quarter of 2021.

This is still much lower than the $51 per barrel that shale drillers got in the first quarter of 2020, the report noted, but added that it is still “providing enough cushion to boost the production levels amid higher oil prices.”

U.S. crude oil prices have gained some 40 percent over the past 12 months, but domestic oil production remains about a million barrels daily below the record 12.8 million bpd the U.S. produced in early 2020.