Frac Sand Weekly News Digest
Nick Cook, Editor
Issue #578 | August 19, 2026
The Frac Sand Digest: pairs well with that first cup of coffee.
This week’s highlights:
- A second attempt at self-sourcing Appalachian local sand (read)
- Oil gains a little and volatility goes down as hopes of the Iran War ending soon go away (read)
- and more!
We are a little over a month out from the Frac Sand Conference in San Antonio!
- Our draft agenda is published, and we’re adding speakers almost daily!
- Thank you Hayes + Stolz (Silver) for your sponsorship of this year’s Conference
- Registration is open, but prices go up in a few weeks (don’t wait)
- Don’t forget to book your rooms! Prices go up when our room block closes on 8/28
And now, the news…
This Week's News
A Second Attempt At Self-Sourced Appalachian Local Sand
While it's been attempted before, will this project succeed where others have not?
LinkedIn Post: Comparing Oil/Lbs Proppant by a Few Key Basin
Vaca Muerta is 44% better than the best US shale play, the Delaware
Oil Posts Modest Gains With Strait of Hormuz Situation Unclear
Crude market volatility has eased, but “I think we’re higher-for-longer oil and seem to be rotating Brent around $90 and WTI around $85, which is still $20 to $25 higher than last year,” Shuchart adds. WTI is up 1.2% at $85.49 a barrel and Brent is 0.9% higher at $91.71
Haynesville Sand Supply Update
And if you want to know more, you should be with us in San Antonio to hear from basin experts.
Back on the Market: Tank Farm for Sale in Louisiana
Unique opportunity to buy a tank terminal situation with river access in Southern Louisiana.
AI’s Biggest Energy Impact Might Be in the Oil Patch, Not the Data Center
AI data centers guzzle as much electricity as entire cities. They have ignited demand for any energy source you can name.
LinkedIn Post: Max Nikolaev, CARBO
Hot take (pun intended) - "Sand doesn't survive heat the way most people think it does."
Local Sand In Bakken / Rockies Hits New Milestone Driven By Utah
Interesting to watch how things are changing here.
Smart Sand Announces CFO Transition and Governance Changes
In August 2026, Smart Sand’s board approved a leadership transition that will see longtime executive James Young become Chief Financial Officer on January 1, 2027, succeeding current CFO Lee Beckelman.
ExxonMobil adding Dean Pay to large-scale development
ExxonMobil is turning to technological advances to continue growing its Permian Basin production.
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