America’s Shale Oil Boom Is Nearly Over - Bloomberg

America’s Shale Oil Boom Is Nearly Over - Bloomberg:

America’s second shale boom is running out of steam. But don’t panic just yet, a third one may be coming over the horizon.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration published its latest short-term energy outlook last week and has cut its forecast of oil production by the end of 2020 for the fourth straight month. It now expects American output to rise by just 370,000 barrels a day over the course of next year. That will be the slowest growth in four years and is yet another indicator that the latest period of rapid shale expansion is faltering.

The number of rigs drilling for oil in the U.S. has fallen in each of the last 10 months, dropping by a total of 20% since November. And productivity gains are waning. Drilling in the Permian, the most prolific of the shale basins, fell by 11% in the nine months to August, according to the EIA.