Frac Sand Weekly News Digest
Nick Cook, Editor
Issue #577 | August 12, 2026
Great stories (especially on the macro and big picture) as well as more information on OFS trends as public earnings calls continue rolling out.
Shout out to our newest Sponsors for the 15th Frac Sand Conference (Sept 22-23, San Antonio):
- Smart Sand (Gold)
- EnDeCo Engineering (Silver)
We are filling up the expo hall quickly, so reach out if you need booth space but haven’t signed up… If you plan to be there, don’t forget to book your rooms!
Pour that mid-morning coffee, close the door, and spend 5 minutes skimming the headlines and digging into what’s most relevant.
And now, the news…
This Week's News
E&Ps Start Acknowledging Service Pricing Power
They said it… Key admissions during calls from the publics.
LinkedIn Post: Matt Detmar
The first fully autonomous load of frac sand on public roads (no backup driver present).
Beyond Fracking: How Vaca Muerta's Sand Demand Is Reshaping Argentina's Freight Network
Very interesting discussion on Argentinian proppant (not to mention the reality that YPF owns a big sand plant).
Mexico Won’t Frac All Their Basins, Yet They Keep Importing U.S. Gas
The state-owned oil company, Pemex, plans to increase domestic production to 4 bcfd by 2030, and this is real progress. But it’s not enough to stop Mexico importing gas from the U.S. Mexico needs to produce more gas.
OPEC Cuts Oil-Demand Forecast Again as Hormuz Talks Stall
The group of oil-rich countries now expects global oil demand to grow by 580,000 barrels a day, down from 780,000 barrels a day previously
E&P Operator Frac Supply Chain Procurement Datapoints: Local Sand Conversion, Supersized Waynesville Loadings, Vertical Integration, Deflation & more…
Lots of really interesting proppant commentaries from E&Ps throughout the L48
Atlas is tripling its driverless fleet by 2027
On July 20, the trucks completed 176 sand deliveries in one day, the highest daily total during roughly 18 months of Atlas driverless operations in the Permian Basin.
Seasonality & Strong Demand Boost Northern Mines
Come hear more about the state of NWS at the Frac Sand Conference (shameless plug)
Smart Sand, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
"The second quarter was one of the best quarters in Smart Sand's history," said Charles Young, Smart Sand's Chief Executive Officer.
ProFrac’s Key Points On Frac & Sand Markets As They See A Very Early Start To 2027 RFP Season
What I liked about this article is how it highlights a shift in strategy as well as where they see sand markets heading in the basins where they operate.
Data-Center Backlash Leads to New Land Rush in Texas Oil Patch
Big landowners in Permian Basin aim to capitalize on Nimby rebellion against AI projects around the U.S.
Amazon Joins Microsoft In The Emerging Permian Delaware Basin Hyperscale Data Center Trend
Pecos is becoming the next “Data Center Alley”…
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