At $65/barrel, most North America shale plays are still profitable with the current rig and well economics on an individual or series basis, according to an industry expert with A.T. Kearney. The firm doesn’t see any major pullback in activity at this price level, except for companies with stronger balance sheets possibly deferring or slowing programs to take advantage of consolidation opportunities with other players that may have higher debt levels and are looking for merger activity, said Vance Scott, partner and leader of the Americas energy practice at global management and strategy consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Deeper, more expensive shale plays that have more exotic completion requirements are always going to be more sensitive to commodity pricing, said Scott. Bakken wells tend to be deeper than wells in the Eagle Ford in South […]