Dealing with the US shale industry’s produced water is increasingly controversial for operators, a new Rystad Energy report reveals. Even though total produced volumes are projected to hit new record highs in the coming years, treated water is expected to be comparatively lower than in the past, despite water disposal practices increasing oilfield seismic activity, with earthquakes nearly doubling in West Texas alone in 2021. Future growth in US shale activity is tied with an inevitable increase in produced water, as hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbon production leads to greater volumes of water. Therefore, as elevated oil prices drive shale activity in major basins, produced water levels in US onshore oilfields are set to return to the all-time-high level of 22.9 billion barrels in 2022, an 8% rise from 2021. New records are anticipated from 2023 at 23 billion barrels, further growing to 23.8 billion barrels in 2026. Fracking activity […]