In an area centering in Ft. Worth, Texas, measuring only 100 miles long and about 50 miles wide, is one of the great resource plays in the world. The Mississippian Barnett Shale occurs at depths ranging from less than 5,000 ft to almost 9,000 ft in this part of the Ft. Worth Basin. Producing over 1 BCFGPD from approximately 4,000 wells, the play produces about 50% of all U.S. shale gas from about 10% of all U.S. shale gas wells.

The Barnett Shale play took 20 years to develop. It owes its economic success to the persistence of Mitchell Energy (which was acquired by Devon in 2002) and the utilization of DOE dollars.

This talk will review the general economic history of the Barnett Shale play and chronicle specific exploration approaches. Key ingredients for success are compiled, and the sometimes painful and difficult learning curve in the Barnett Shale play’s development will be illustrated.

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