West Texas sand used in the hydraulic fracturing process will drop 19 percent this year to about $30 a ton compared to 2018, according to industry consultant Rystad Energy AS. Sand pricing is a key financial input for oil explorers because fracking is the most expensive phase in drilling an oil well. – Bloomberg
Hi-Crush Partners LP, the first to open a mine in West Texas, said Wednesday in announcing fourth-quarter financial results that its Midwest mines felt the biggest pain from the Permian sand boom. And while the Houston company expects more high-cost mines to idle or close throughout the industry because of the heightened competition, it added that the so-called Northern White sand mined in Wisconsin is not dead. – worldoil.com