Tech Firm Aims to Cut Fracking's Carbon Footprint

摘要

The oil-price crash has sent US shale producers scrambling to reduce their breakeven costs and stay competitive in the lowprice environment. Producers have been seeking lower services costs, better well productivity, and "high-grade" drilling by focusing only on shale play "sweet spots" (OD May6'16). But technology could also play a bigger role in the future, both in reducing break-evens and lowering producers' carbon footprints at hydraulic fracturing sites. Fracking is credited with helping to slash US carbon emissions in recent years, as cheap, cleaner-burning shale gas has displaced large amounts of coal in power generation (OD May12'16).