Frac Sand Weekly News Digest

Nick Cook, Editor

Issue #280 | July 15, 2020

HCR’s bankruptcy dominates the newsletter this week.  Normally we try to avoid including several articles covering the same topic, but in this case we thought the various articles each provided decent insights and angles on the same issue, so we included several.  If you have not already done so, we would also like your feedback on whether we should hold the 9th Annual Frac Sand Supply & Logistics Conference in mid-September, as scheduled, or if we should bump it back to mid-November.  You can take the survey here.  And finally, don’t forget to register for our free webinar on “Frac Sand Asset Acquisition and Disposition.”  Learn more and sign up here.

This Week's News

Wall Street Journal: Hi-Crush Bondholders Poised to Take Over the Frac-Sand Supplier

Hi-Crush Inc., a supplier of fracking sand, intends to hand control of the company to bondholders in a restructuring deal designed to exit chapter 11 bankruptcy and help it weather low oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic...

Hi-Crush Commences Chapter 11 Proceedings After Striking Productive Deals With Lenders & Lessors

Between the debt restructuring and rail car lease restructuring measures described in the petition, Infill Thinking estimates the go-forward company will save $65-$75mm per annum after a quick restructuring process expected to culminate near the end of 3Q20. Hi-Crush also disclosed that the company’s headcount has been reduced from approximately 740 employees on January 1, 2020 to 297 employees as of the Petition Date...

Hi-Crush Inc. Enters into Restructuring Support Agreement with Unsecured Noteholders

The terms of the Agreement provide for a comprehensive restructuring of the Company's balance sheet (the "Prearranged Plan") to be implemented through the commencement of Chapter 11 cases...

Potential Mobile-Mini Plant Deployments & Frac Crew Reactivations. Green Shoots Can Be Found If You Look Hard Enough!

+1 frac crew here or there wouldn’t have moved the needle pre-pandemic. But in today’s environment, every small win and green shoot counts and boosts morale in the oilfield.  Hope prevails among industry folks we talk with that 20-30 US frac crews could return to work during 3Q20...

Survey Regarding the Dates of the Largest Frac Sand Event of 2020

Please take The Petroleum Connection’s survey regarding whether we should hold the 9th Annual Frac Sand Supply & Logistics Conference in mid-September or mid-November...

2 Smart Takes On The Latest Shots Fired In The White vs. Brown Sand Debate

Rystad Energy recently delivered into the public sphere some extensive new analysis on the long standing NWS vs. local sand performance debate.  The new study appears to have been commissioned by WISA – and the related Northern White Sand Consortium...

Frac Sand Producers Facing Bankruptcy

More Wisconsin sand mine operators are facing bankruptcy as the COVID-19 pandemic, falling oil prices and competition from other regions continue to shake the industry...

Pandemic Forces 3 Frac Sand Companies into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

An oil and natural gas industry downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic has forced three frac sand companies to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the past five weeks...

Frac Sand’s Downtrend Concisely Articulated

As summarized in detail here, Hi-Crush filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over the weekend.  Buried in documents related to the petition for relief was some powerful market commentary describing the status and outlook of the proppant market...

US Frac Sand Suppliers Hit Hard by Downturn

Covid-19 outbreak forcing those with weaker balance sheets into bankruptcy as shale drilling slows down...

Webinar Announcement: Frac Sand Asset Acquisition and Disposition

The Petroleum Connection is pleased to announce a new webinar.  Join us at 12pm Central time on Thursday, July 23rd as we discuss “Frac Sand Asset Acquisition and Disposition”...

The Lost Quarter, Pressure Pumping M&A, & Another Distressed Firm On Our Watchlist Caves…

Three quick datapoints worth flagging this morning that didn’t give us quite enough content for full-bore research updates but are notable none-the-less...

Oil and Gas Industry Facing ‘One of the Greatest Challenges,’ Report Says

The oil and gas industry faces a challenging second half of the year as many countries around the world are still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

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Last Time The US Rig Count Was This Low, Abraham Lincoln Was President

The total US rig count hit 258 last week as the land rig count dipped below the important 250 mark to 246 rigs turning to the right...

PPP Loan Program Saved More than Half of Oil Field Jobs in Texas

More than $1 billion in forgivable loans issued by the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program for companies struggling with the coronavirus pandemic saved more than half of oil field jobs in Texas, an analysis of Small Business Administration figures shows...

There's More to Frac Sand Company’s Proposal to Ship Water Out of Iowa than Just Being Neighborly

Shawver and Pattison suggest that selling our water would bring welcome money to the state during this time of financial need and lost jobs...

Alberta Proposes Redefining 'Mineral' for Easier Approval of Sand-Mining Projects

Alberta wants to redefine minerals in provincial law to lessen the administrative workload for sand-mining operations...

Optimizing A New Industrial Site for Mining Leader

As the customer was getting closer to opening the gates to their new state-of-the-art sand processing facility in Texas, they had questions about how to maximize truck throughput and equipment utilization.  A case study by Engineering USA...

An Operator’s Guide to Transforming E&P

Exploration and production companies born during the shale boom are struggling in the era of cash. Lessons from other heavy industries can help them transform their operations from end to end...

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