Karnes County continues to be a key player in the Eagle Ford Shale, with 2024 and early 2025 activity highlighting both steady drilling operations and new infrastructure development.
🔍 Drilling Activity Overview
In 2024–2025, ConocoPhillips Company has led the way with 154 wells drilled, far outpacing other operators. Devon Energy and EOG Resources followed with 45 and 25 wells respectively, showing strong, targeted development strategies. Notably, Murphy Exploration and 1776 Energy Operators have also been active, contributing to a total of hundreds of new wells drilled across the county.
🌬️ Air Permit Insights
Air permitting data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) offers a window into planned facility and infrastructure growth. ConocoPhillips once again tops the list with 25 permits issued, suggesting a pipeline of new projects underway. Other active permit holders include 1776 Energy Operators and Repsol Oil & Gas, both of which exhibit high permit-to-well ratios—a possible sign of upcoming development phases or pad expansion.
🔄 What the Trends Reveal
The combined drilling and permitting data shows:
- Large operators like ConocoPhillips are maintaining full-cycle development strategies.
- Mid-sized firms such as 1776 Energy and Repsol are highly active on the permitting side, signaling opportunity for infrastructure support services.
- A shift toward centralized facility development and efficiency-focused drilling may be underway, especially among firms with high well counts but low new permitting.
💼 Business Development Opportunities
For oilfield service providers, Karnes County is rich with potential:
- Facility design, construction, and emissions control services for high-permit operators.
- Rig, water, and logistics support for mid-sized firms scaling up pad activity.
- Software and automation solutions for drillers focused on cost efficiency and operational streamlining.
Bottom Line: Karnes County remains a hotbed of Eagle Ford development. Whether you’re selling equipment, software, or services, the data shows who to watch—and where to strike.
