Conoco VP: Industry Needs Way To Use Less Water In 'Fracking'
August 17 2011 - 6:30PM
Dow Jones News
A ConocoPhillips (COP) executive said Wednesday the oil-and-gas
industry needs to find a way to make hydraulic fracturing less
fresh-water intensive in order to preserve a valuable resource.
"We need to figure out a better way to do it," said Glenn
Schaaf, ConocoPhillips vice president of drilling and production,
speaking at an energy conference in Houston.
Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, is a technique in
which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is pumped at high pressure
to break up shale rock formations deep underground and access the
gas trapped within. It has drawn scrutiny from environmental
advocacy groups and regulators for potential risks to drinking
water and other environmental effects.
The procedure has allowed oil and natural-gas companies,
including Conoco, to gain access in recent years to the massive gas
reserves held in shale formations across the U.S.
The energy industry needs to let the public know that oil and
gas companies are not significant users of fresh water in the U.S.
despite the drilling activity, but it also "needs to do its part to
reduce" water use, Schaaf said.
The energy industry is using old technology to unlock the
potential of shale reserves reliably and safely, but needs to
develop new ways to make drilling and the use of resources more
efficient, he added.
Schaaf said one option would be if companies that, for instance,
have drilling operations in the Eagle Ford in Texas team up to
build a plant that allows the replacement of fresh water used in
hydraulic fracturing with salty water from the Gulf of Mexico.
-By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9207;
isabel.ordonez@dowjones.com
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