Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised

Insights: Vaca Muerta’s scale, productivity—and why it has more to give

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, upstream editor Alex Procyk delivers an in-depth technical and commercial overview of Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale play, one of the world’s largest unconventional oil and gas resources—and one that continues to punch below its weight in total production.
Procyk argues this is less a reflection of rock quality and more a result of development pace, infrastructure, and operational complexity. He also outlines why Vaca Muerta’s location—far from geopolitically sensitive supply routes—could make it increasingly important in global energy markets.
Why Vaca Muerta matters now
Despite resource estimates rivaling or exceeding major US shale plays, Vaca Muerta produces only a fraction of their total output. Procyk argues this is less a reflection of rock quality and more a result of development pace, infrastructure, and operational complexity. With major pipeline projects under way and LNG export capacity taking shape, Vaca Muerta may be poised to play a much larger role in global oil and gas supply.
From the episode
“On a per‑well basis, Vaca Muerta is one of the most productive unconventional plays on the planet.”
“It’s a massive resource, but it hasn’t really been pushed yet.”
“The geology isn’t uniformly great—but where it’s good, it’s very good.”
“Managing risk versus reward isn’t a flaw in the process—that’s engineering.”
“Vaca Muerta is about as far away from the Strait of Hormuz as you can get, and that matters.”

Market Focus: LNG supply shocks expose limited market flexibility

In this Market Focus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Conglin Xu, managing editor, economics, takes a look into the LNG market shock caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the sudden loss of Qatari LNG supply as the Iran war continues.
Xu speaks with Edward O’Toole, director of global gas analysis, RBAC Inc., to examine how these disruptions are intensifying global supply constraints at a time when European inventories were already under pressure following a colder-than-average winter and weaker storage levels.
Drawing on RBAC’s G2M2 global gas market model, O’Toole outlines disruption scenarios analyzed in the firm’s recent report and explains how current events align with their findings. With global LNG production already operating near maximum utilization, the market response is being driven by higher prices and reduced consumption. Europe faces sharper price pressure due to storage refill needs, while Asian markets are expected to see greater demand reductions as consumers switch fuels.
O’Toole underscores the importance of scenario-based modeling and supply diversification as geopolitical risk exposes structural vulnerabilities in the LNG market—offering insights for stakeholders navigating an increasingly uncertain global gas landscape.

Then & Now: Oil prices, US shale, offshore, and AI—Deborah Byers on what changed since 2017

In this Then & Now episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Managing Editor and Content Strategist Mikaila Adams reconnects with Deborah Byers, nonresident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and former EY Americas industry leader, to revisit a set of questions first posed in 2017.
In 2017, the industry was emerging from a downturn and recalibrating strategy; today, it faces heightened geopolitical risk, market volatility, and a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
The conversation examines how those earlier perspectives have aged—covering oil price bands and the speed of recovery from geopolitical shocks, the role of US shale relative to OPEC in balancing global supply, and the shift from scarcity to economic abundance driven by technology and capital discipline.
Adams and Byers also compare the economics and risk profiles of shale and offshore development, including the growing role of Brazil, Guyana, and the Gulf of Mexico, and discuss how infrastructure and regulatory constraints shape market outcomes.
The episode further explores where digital transformation—particularly artificial intelligence—is delivering tangible returns across upstream operations, from predictive maintenance and workforce planning to capital project execution. The discussion concludes with insights on consolidation and scale in the Permian basin, the strategic rationale behind recent megamergers, and the industry’s ongoing challenge to attract and retain next‑generation talent through flexibility, technical opportunity, and purpose‑driven work.
A focus on operational excellence - 2017
In 2017, Adams sat down with Byers—who was then a managing partner in Ernst & Young's Houston office and led the Southwest Transaction Advisory Services and the firm's US energy practice—to talk about her 30-year career with EY and her view of the industry going into 2017. Take a look back and review the interview that spurred the podcast.   

The Iran war: Regional geopolitics, oil, and natural gas

In this bonus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith is joined by Jim Krane, the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies and Center for Energy Studies Lead for Energy and Geopolitics in the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
The two discuss the regional political forces shaping the Iran war so far, exactly how vulnerable the Strait of Hormuz is, and—shifting inland—what’s in it for the Kurds.

Then & Now: Structural shifts in oil market trade

In this Then & Now episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Laura Bell-Hammer examines how US crude oil imports have evolved from structural dependence in the mid-1990s to today’s model of strategic grade optimization.
Using historical and current data, the episode traces how refinery configuration, shale-driven production growth, regional pipeline integration, and shifting geopolitics reshaped US trade flows over three decades. From OPEC’s dominant role in 1995 to Canada’s system-critical position today and the reemergence of Venezuelan barrels under evolving sanctions policy...this episode explores how long-cycle capital investment and policy decisions continue to influence refinery economics and supply strategy.

Insights: Venezuela – new legal frameworks vs. the inertia of history

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith updates the evolving situation in Venezuela as the industry attempts to navigate the best path forward while the two governments continue to hammer out the details.
The discussion centers on the new legal frameworks being established in both countries within the context of fraught relations stretching back for decades.
Want to hear more? Listen in on a January episode highlighting industry's initial take following the removal of Nicholas Maduro from power.
References
Politico podcast
Monaldi Substack
Baker webinar
Washington, Caracas open Venezuela to allow more oil sales 

Insights: Upstream studies that matter—from proppant design to resource size and methane reality

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Alex Procyk, Upstream Editor, recaps four recent technical papers shaping today’s upstream decisions. He looks at how lightweight and ultralight proppants are influencing fracture performance and gravel-pack stability, why updated data show the Marcellus continuing to expand without signs of productivity loss, and how airborne monitoring offshore Angola is exposing gaps in reported methane emissions.
The episode is a practical walkthrough of what the latest research means for completion design, resource expectations, and environmental oversight.
Article references
If you’d like to dig deeper, the full articles are available with your membership on OGJ.com. 
Marcellus assessment shows continued expansion [Free - Members Only]
New assessment suggests substantial Appalachian shale gas resources [Premium]
Lightweight proppants improve completion [Free - Members Only]
Airborne Angolan methane monitoring reveals discrepancies [Free - Members Only]

Insights: Looking at 2026 through the lens of ADIPEC

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas ReEnterprised podcast, OGJ Head of Content Chris Smith talks with Bob Crossen, Vice-President of Content Strategy for the Water and Energy Groups of Endeavor Business Media, about the latter’s first trip to the world’s largest oil and gas trade show: Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC).
Conference themes discussed as they relate to the year ahead include the shift from automation to autonomy, AI, the energy addition, and sustainability.

Insights: The path ahead in Venezuela

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Oil & Gas Journal Head of Content, Chris Smith, talks about the issues shaping what happens next in Venezuela now that Nicholas Maduro has been removed from power.
An oversupplied crude market, deep infrastructural needs, and in-country political uncertainty are only a few of the problems to be addressed.
But there are also opportunities, particularly if progress can begin quickly. This episode was based on and expanded from an OGJ article written by Conglin Xu, Managing Editor - Economics. 
 

ICYMI: Oil & Gas Journal's most-engaged content of 2025

In this, the final Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast episode of 2025, Mikaila Adams, managing editor, along with a team of OGJ editors, walks readers through content that most captured readers’ attention throughout the year.
In this episode, you’ll hear short recaps of this year's most-read content from OGJ.com...shared in our editors’ own words...with thoughts to carry into 2026. 
Give it a listen...you don't know what you may have missed! 
References
Laura
2024 Worldwide Reserves/Production tables  
2025 Worldwide Reserves/Production tables
Conglin 
 2025 Forecast & Review webinar  
2026 Forecast & Review webinar (REGISTER TODAY!)
Geert
Aethon president: Natural gas needs to top $5 to spur Haynesville investment
Mikaila 
TGNR adds East Texas gas assets in $525-million deal with Chevron
Chris  
Venture Global withdraws Delta LNG from pre-filing to focus on Plaquemines expansion
Alex  
Shell starts oil production from deepwater Gulf of Mexico Whale development
Shell designed Vito development for present deepwater economics
Chevron Anchor pioneers 20K subsea development