To my fellow SPE Permian Basin members,

 

I hope all of you had a fantastic summer and have successfully dodged the heat wave so far. On behalf of SPE Permian Basin Section, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new members and existing members of the basin. The Permian is the place to be – the string of boomtowns and man camps that represent the heartbeat of American energy. It’s the Permian that we call home.

 

First of all, let me tell you why I am proud to be in the Permian:

 

The Permian currently accounts for 43% of U.S. daily production and is home to almost 40% of the nation's active drilling rigs. Of the many scattered formations across the country, one reigns supreme – the Permian Basin. Domestic crude output reached a new high for the year as producers ramp up production to meet summer needs per the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Importantly, the Permian has played a crucial role in America’s ascent to becoming the World’s No. 1 crude oil producing nation. The Permian has been the most active and productive oil producing region in the country and is the second largest most productive natural gas region of the United States with a geographic footprint area of about 0.022% compared to the area of the entire nation. This growth hasn’t been achieved without its challenges. In the 1970’s during the global oil crisis, the industry incrementally developed technologies like hydraulic fracturing & horizontal drilling that eventually created a turn around and breakthroughs in the Barnett Shale in the 2000’s; it’s these breakthroughs that ended up setting the stage for the “Shale Revolution.” 

After 2015’s short decline in production, producers were able to drive the Permian to new heights, which played a key role in making the United States the world’s largest oil producer by 2018. We overcame the pandemic, survived dramatic declines in oil prices and continuous challenges of climate change, under supply of global oil market, well placement (Fig. 1: Odessa, TX in 2003 vs. 2018; at the end of this article), and pipeline capacity issues.  Even with all these challenges in the Permian, we as an industry continuously strive to address these issues by pushing the boundaries, such as: drilling 3-mile laterals from the standard of 1-mile laterals (Rystad Energy: ShaleWellCube), implementing zero carbon net policies, and tapping into digital tech to improve productivity. The Permian Basin’s recoverable reserves in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring formations alone are estimated at 50 billion barrels of crude oil and about 300 billion cubic feet of natural gas. With all of this, it’s the community that we have always relied upon. Our people of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico – a community of bold and brave individuals who have bonded together is what makes the Permian the place to be and why I feel fortunate to be part of it.

 

I am honored to serve as the 2022-23 SPE Permian Basin Chair; here’s little bit about myself:

 

I am Shivani Vyas, a Petroleum Engineer graduated from Texas Tech University (TTU), currently working as a Technical Services Engineer in the production and operations division for Odessa Separator Inc. (OSI). Born and raised in India, I am glad to have chosen West Texas; even more grateful that it chose me right back! I started my involvement through SPE’s TTU student chapter, served on the SPE Permian Basin Young Professional board for a couple of years and on the SPE Permian Basin Section this past year alongside remarkable peers who have humbled me to understand the responsibilities and values of the SPE Permian section. I am very much honored to be serving as the Chair for the SPE Permian Basin Section for 2022 – 2023 term.

SPE including the SPE Permian Basin Section has always strived to create vision and value for its members by organizing technical sessions, community services and networking events to enhance technical and professional competency of the community. We would love to have your involvement.

 

It’s the members that make this organization. We would very much like your feedback and suggestions for us to be working together and moving forward. Please feel free to reach out to anyone of us on the board.