Frac Sand Weekly News Digest
Nick Cook, Editor
Issue #557 | March 18, 2026
We’re busy ramping everything up for next Tuesday’s gathering in Houston (if you’re not registered, you still can). Our contacts are all getting excited, and we are pleased with the representation from all throughout the biggest segments of the frac sand supply & demand chain.
This week:
- Lots of discussions about sand pricing
- Alpine Silica posts a very strong Q4 (looking forward to chatting with their team about it next week)
- Signs of activity responding to the war
And now, the news…
This Week's News
Has OFS pricing/activity changed as a result of the war?
Prices don’t mean jack to us if they don’t translate to increased activity and improved pricing for proppant, logistics, and OFS.
First Sign Of Wartime Tight Oil Response? A Permian Leading Indicator Jumps…
Is this the first tangible evidence of tight oil D&C demand reacting to the oil price spike?
Oil Holds Above $100 as Iran Escalates Attacks Against Key Infrastructure
Iran stepped up attacks on key energy infrastructure in the Middle East and U.S. allies rebuffed President Trump’s call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“Final” Assessment Of Winter Storm Fern’s 1Q26 E&P Impact
Before the war, the winter blast was a big talking point in shale – this news cycle moves fast!
Iran War Delivers Windfall to America’s Oil Country
Higher energy prices might vex the economy, but for some U.S. states, they provide a financial boost that will help close budget deficits and fix roads
Is The Oilfield Service Pricing Pendulum Swinging Back To Service Providers?
Will this oil price rip trigger a margin expansion story in oilfield service at the expense of higher well costs for E&Ps?
ProFrac Holding Corp. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
"Notably, our proppant production segment delivered exceptional results, benefiting from increased volumes and improved logistics efficiency that helped us maintain strong margins." - Matt Wilks
Eagle Ford Local Sand Supply Update
Some key takeaways from this South Texas local frac sand data run
Oil Underinvestment Could Hinder US’ Iran-Crisis Response: Here’s Why
No matter how the Iran war gets resolved, the US and other countries will be forced to reckon with a global oil market in complete disarray.
2026 Formal Shale Capex Budget Analysis Pre-War
Operator-by-operator capex budget data with a focus on incorporating the formal 2026 capex budgets of more than 40 publicly traded Lower 48 E&Ps.
Get relevant announcements and news from major outlets, industry leaders, and local media so you always know what’s happening and changing in the frac sand industry.
Subscribe to get our carefully curated summary of relevant frac sand related news and analysis delivered to your inbox each Wednesday.
Share Your News
Send us your press releases and any other news articles which you believe would be of interest to our readers. Email submissions to contact@petroleumconnection.com