Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Robert Rapier is a chemical engineer covering the energy sector. Oil and gas fields, no matter how productive, eventually decline.

I’m a skeptic, and for good reason. After years of reporting and writing about the oil, gas and power generation markets, I’ve learned that long-term forecasts on pricing and supply almost never come ...

The Vaca Muerta shale play in southern Argentina continues delivering strong production growth. In a mere decade, shale oil and gas production have regularly soared to all-time highs, boosting ...

At-a-Glance: Production testing in shale follows a structured sequence: controlled flowback and cleanup, disciplined drawdown via choke management, multi-rate testing with pressure build-ups, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Robert Rapier is a chemical engineer covering the energy sector. The U.S. shale oil and gas boom that began early this century had ...

U.S. shale gas production experienced its first recorded decline in the first nine months of 2024, primarily due to falling gas prices and reduced rig counts. The Haynesville and Utica shale plays ...

Argentina hit record crude production of 861,380 bpd in December 2025, driven primarily by shale output from Vaca Muerta. Shale oil now accounts for 69% of total crude production, while shale gas ...

Natural gas touches almost every corner of the U.S. economy, fuelling power plants, homes, factories and the booming LNG ...

US natural gas production from shale and tight formations, which makes up 79% of dry natural gas production in the US, saw a slight decline in the first 9 months of 2024 compared with the same period ...