Have We Found a New Way to Power Oil Production?

New drilling techniques used to extract oil and gas from unconventional sources require much more energy than drilling traditional wells. Hence, one of the largest costs for a drilling company is the energy expended to drill. Many drilling sites are not connected to electricity grids, therefore many exploration and production companies have relied on diesel generators to power their operations. Certainly there has to be a better way? Well, Apache Chief Technology Officer Michael S. Bahorich sees natural gas as a much more economical fuel.

About 1% of all drilling operations are powered by natural gas. By shifting all drilling operations over to natural gas, the industry could save as much as $1.6 billion a year. The idea has such appeal that both Haliburton and Schlumberger have said that they would be willing to test sites with Apache for free. In this video, Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe talks about how the industry could convert to natural-gas-powered operations, and highlights companies to look out for that could benefit from this movement.

Domestic oil and gas service companies have taken a hit due to a slowdown in the natural gas drilling boom of the last couple of years. As this market looks to rebound, investors would be wise to consider Halliburton, one of the top companies in the business and one of those most in tune with the domestic market. To access The Motley Fool's new premium research report on this industry stalwart, simply click here now and learn everything you need to know about how Halliburton is positioning itself both at home and abroad.

The article Have We Found a New Way to Power Oil Production? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Motley Fool contributor Aimee Duffy has no position in any stocks mentioned. Motley Fool contributor Tyler Crowe has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow them both on Twitter @TMFDuffy and @TylerCroweFool, respectively. The Motley Fool recommends Halliburton. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apache. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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