Baker Hughes Closes Another Texas Location

April 8, 2015 Elizabeth Alford

Chesapeake Cuts Budget for 2015 — Baker Hughes Cuts Jobs

Baker Hughes pink slips are starting to add up. The latest casualties are the 54 employees who will be out of work when Baker Hughes permanently closes its office in Bryan, TX.

Since the first of the year, Baker Hughes has closed other Texas locations including operations in Mineral Wells (110 employees), Kilgore (58) and Alice (51).

Baker Hughes representatives continue to say that job cuts are part of a company wide workforce reduction of an estimated 7000 workers in order to minimize costs during this downturn in oil prices. Also at play is Baker Hughes’ upcoming merger with Halliburton, where it is likely that both companies will combine operations and eliminate redundancies.

The Houston Chronicle reported in December that the combined company expects to make $2 billion in cuts, with most of the job loses coming from operations.

“We don’t want to be insensitive to the uncertainty and acknowledge that the fact that anytime you have institutions of this size coming together there will be some adjustments, but I think it would be premature to speculate.”

— Baker Hughes CEO, Martin Craighead

Halliburton Opens San Antonio Office & Operations Center - Will Service the Eagle Ford

September 19, 2013 R.T. Dukes

Halliburton Administrative Office - San Antonio

Halliburton has officially opened the company's $70 million San Antonio office in southern Bexar County.

The new operations center will serve the needs of the Eagle Ford and the surrounding area. The company's South Texas operations have grown in stride with the Eagle Ford.

Halliburton has hired 550 employees and expects to add another 450 oilfield related jobs by the end of the year. The facility was designed to support as many as 1,500 employees.

“Our new facility enables us to provide a wide range of services and support to our customers along the Eagle Ford corridor, as well as other South Texas fields.”

— Paul Sheppard, VP of Halliburton’s Southeast Area.

Halliburton Maintenance Facility San Antonio

The 400,000 square foot facility was built on 150 acres and currently supports five of the company's business lines:

Production enhancement
Boots & Coots
Cementing
Baroid
Wireline and Perforating.

The sixth business line, completion tools, will move to the facility in 2014.

Halliburton has operated in South Texas more than 80 years and now has offices in Alice, Victoria, and San Antonio.

The address for the new facility is:

4375 Loop 1604 East San Antonio, TX 78264

Read the full press release at halliburton.com

Other major oilfield service companies have offices in the area as well:

Lower Rig Count, But More Drilling in 2013 - Schlumberger - Halliburton

January 25, 2013 R.T. Dukes

In the company's fourth quarter conference call, Schlumberger (SLB) executives stated they expect the active rig count will fall from the 2012 average, but there will be more wells drilled. SLB reviews its outlook for North America in its conference call each quarter. The company does expect the liquids rig count to increase in the first half of the year, but does not expect much if any recovery in natural gas drilling.

Paal Kibsgaard, CEO, stated, "But if you look at our view on 2013 for North America, we expect the U.S. land rig count to be up between about 100-150 rigs in Q1, and this is based on the feedback from our customers. Now in terms of activity for the full year, we still see U.S. land rig count slightly down versus 2012, while the well count will be slightly up."

Halliburton is also expected to echo the same sentiment in its call today. The following statement was included in the company's press release:

“In 2013, we anticipate the North America rig count will improve from fourth quarter levels but will be down slightly compared to 2012."

Other notable items from the SLB call include:

Expects the liquids rig count to bounce up in the first quarter of 2013
Do NOT see a significant recovery in dry-gas drilling in 2013
Natural gas production remains strong
Hydraulic fracturing pricing is not expected to increase in 2013

As you hear locals begin to discuss rigs moving out of your area. Remember, a lower rig count does not mean there will be fewer wells drilled. Operators get more efficient over time and need fewer rigs to develop their acreage.

Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Completion Technology - HAL - SLB - GFS.TO

September 2, 2011 R.T. Dukes

Eagle Ford completion technology is evolving as it needs to if operators want to remain competitive. Operators have lots of theories, but the proof is in the pudding. Drilling and completing wells is the only real way to test new technologies. That technology is needed as we experience rising service costs, along with natural gas prices of $4 per mcf and oil prices that look to be below $90 for the foreseeable future. $90 a barrel isn't bad, but it isn't $100.

Petrohawk was the first to announce a major change in completion technology by using Schlumberger's Hi-way Frac system. SLB refers to it as "HiWay Flow Channel Fracturing". Fancy name and all, nobody really cares unless it delivers. For Petrohawk, it looks to have done just that. Petrohawk had utilized hiway fracs in 12 wells that had a production history of 90 days or more as of June. Those 12 wells had produced 32% more at a pressure 42% higher than other wells with a choke (18/64ths). More production at a higher pressure is about as good as it gets. The higher pressure indicates better overall communication, which is great in tight shale rocks. We'll hear more about hiway fracs as operators test it in other parts of the Eagle Ford and in other plays. Read more on Schlumberger's HiWay Flow Channel Fracturing at www.slb.com [ic-c] The other service companies are not slouches, and are working the technology game too. Halliburton is pushing for speed and has lowered completion times by as much as two days with its "Delta Stim" completion service. Multiply two days per well over 100s of wells per year and you begin saving alot of money. Across 182 wells per year, that's an extra well on production for a full year! Days and hours count in the oil & gas game. If you're offering, I'd be just fine with an extra year of production from an Eagle Ford well.

A GasFrac completion in Maverick County is being tested for Jedela Operating. The results will be interesting to watch as GasFrac's technology is more commonly used in Canada where the company was founded. The idea is interesting. If you can sell your flowback fluids or gas, you might only be out the costs of getting it there. If you're in a drought and have to spend top dollar for water, it gets even more compelling. If better production rates and quicker completions prove true, you'll likely end up with a winning combination. Read more at GasFrac.com.

R.T.

Halliburton San Antonio Office to be a Bexar County Supersite

August 27, 2011 R.T. Dukes

Halliburton's San Antonio office will be here soon and it will be big news for Bexar County. The quote of the article is "supersite". Halliburton has over 2,100 employees in South Texas. That's a good indication of how many people could be directed from the San Antonio office. That number will likely grow with drilling and production in the Eagle Ford. The site for the proposed Halliburton office has yet to be determined, but the company owns 150 acres at the northeast corner of Loop 1604 and Interstate 37 in southeast Bexar County, TX.

You can bet the office will bring several hundred jobs and possibly 1,000+ to the San Antonio area. Baker Hughes's San Antonio operations center was announced a little over a month ago and it is expected to bring 400 jobs to the area. Weatherford's Bexar County office is just across the street from where Halliburton owns land and on top of that, Schlumberger's South Texas office will likely be announced in the coming months.

I'd bet the greatest number of jobs will be sourced from Halliburton's office. Just being conservative, those four companies will easily add 1,000 full time jobs to the area. There are already lots of openings and this will add to the booming energy job market in South Texas. If you're looking for a career in energy, search Eagle Ford Shale Jobs Here.

Oil-field services giant Halliburton Co. is shopping for a “supersite” in San Antonio that would employ hundreds to serve its clients that are drilling in the Eagle Ford shale, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said Thursday.
“It looks promising,” Wolff said, and added that Halliburton likely will make a decision in 30 to 60 days.
If Houston-based Halliburton does establish a major office in San Antonio, it “would be the biggest (Eagle Ford-related company) in terms of employment as well as diversity of the jobs,” Wolff said.
Because the company would bring high-paying jobs, landing it would be tantamount to San Antonio's winning the Toyota pickup plant, he said.
Wolff and former Mayor Henry Cisneros, along with local economic development officials, met with six Halliburton officials Thursday in Houston.

Read the entire news release at mysanantonio.com