DUG Eagle Ford: All-electric Stimulation Fleets Lower Costs In Oil Patch

SAN ANTONIO—Reducing costs is the main driver for the transition from mechanical to all-electric well stimulation fleets, according to Matthew Wilhoit, vice president and global head of Siemens’ unconventional oil and gas business.

“If you look at some of the biggest issues we are seeing right now, it’s around footprint of the site. It’s the power delivered at the site and emissions, fuel costs, etc. All of it focuses on improving completions costs, bringing production on sooner and more wells per year,” Wilhoit said during Hart Energy’s DUG Eagle Ford in San Antonio.

An all-electric fleet replaces a diesel engine, transmission and pump with an electric motor.

“Now you have a drivetrain that needs maybe a couple $100 worth of maintenance per year versus the traditional diesel in the traditional mechanical drivetrain,” Wilhoit said. “So right there you have maybe a one-to-one cost exchange, but the savings on the maintenance is huge.”