Shale Oil Recovery Is Seen Taking Years After Decade of Excess - Bloomberg

Shale Oil Recovery Is Seen Taking Years After Decade of Excess - Bloomberg:

As oil prices tick up to $40 a barrel following a pandemic-induced plunge, there’s a sense the shale industry is snapping back to life with Continental Resources Inc., EOG Resources Inc. and Parsley Energy Inc. all saying they’re restarting closed wells.

But top industry forecasters are painting a far darker picture. The reopenings, they say, will do little to bring new growth to an industry being increasingly starved of cash by Wall Street after a decade of excess. Even before the pandemic, investors were demanding companies spend no more than they earn. Now, that’s become a major barrier to future growth.

Looking out 18 months, U.S. output will still be around 16% below its peak in February, according to the average of five major forecasters surveyed by Bloomberg. It will probably be at least 2023 before the U.S. again hits its record close to 13 million barrels a day.