The Powder River Basin | April 2023
Field Overview
The Powder River Basin, known for its coal deposits, is located in Southeast Montana and Northeast Wyoming. The basin is named so because it is drained by the Powder River. Major cities in the area include Gillette and Sheridan, Wyoming, and Miles City, Montana. There is a recent resurgence in oil and gas production as a result of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. This resurgence is occurring mainly in the Wyoming part of the basin, historically known as the source of the basin’s oil.
State Drilling Statistics
Total Rigs in Wyoming- 15 (
-5)
Total Rigs in the United States- 720 (-11)
Total U.S. Rigs 1.0% YTD
State Permitting Data
Permits Approved – 44
Powder River Top Producer
Top Producer – EOG
Basin Highlights
As Natural Gas Prices Tumble, Wyoming Coal Hangs On
The two major coal companies in Wyoming–Arch Resources and Peabody Energy–both delivered strong first quarter profits, with Arch netting $198.1 million and Peabody netting $268.5 million. Nine of the top 15 coal mines in the US are located in the prolific Powder River Basin. With gas prices tumbling to nearly $2/MMBtu, coal producers are worried about the immediate future of coal prices, which is competitive in power generation with natural gas when gas is at or above $3/MMBtu.
EOG Resources Recognized as 2022 Recipient of Game and Fish Industry Wildlife Stewardship Award
EOG Resources won the 2022 Industry Wildlife Stewardship Award, an award given to “companies whose primary mission is not wildlife-related, but who choose to make a positive impact through development and improvement for the benefit of fish, wildlife, or habitat”. EOG won this award for extraordinary efforts in reclaiming disturbed oil and gas sites, monitoring wildlife resources, and lessening impacts on the environment.
PRB Coal Production Steady in Early 2023
Rail transport issues in Wyoming have complicated coal production and export in Wyoming but have not reduced production to amounts far below production volumes observed in the early part of last year. The 12 Powder River Basin coal mines collectively produced 58 million tons of coal in the first quarter of 2023, keeping them on pace with 2022’s production levels. Coal production in the Powder River Basin tumbled during 2020, but increased in 2021 and in 2022.
Most Permit Approvals by Operator
| Rank | Company | Permits Approved |
| 1 | Anschutz | 18 |
| 2 | Occidental | 10 |
| 3 | Ballard Petroleum | 4 |
| 3 | Bright Rock | 4 |
| 3 | Devon | 4 |
Top Producers – Oil
| Rank | Company | April Oil Production (MBO) |
| 1 | Continental Resources | 767 |
| 2 | Anschutz Corp | 749 |
| 3 | EOG | 743 |
| 4 | Devon | 693 |
| 5 | Crescent Energy Company | 452 |
Top Producers – Gas
| Rank | Company | April Gas Production (MMCF) |
| 1 | Denbury | 7,191 |
| 2 | EOG | 4,973 |
| 3 | Carbon Creek Energy | 4,727 |
| 4 | Continental Resources | 2,839 |
| 5 | Occidental | 1,406 |
Rig Count
Wyoming Oil Production
Wyoming Gas Production
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PETRO Engineering, PLLC via the following sources unless otherwise
noted:
www.eia.gov
www.drillinginfo.com
www.bhge.com
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