Conoco VP: Industry Needs Way To Use Less Water In 'Fracking'

A ConocoPhillips (COP) executive said Wednesday the oil-and-gas industry needs to find a way to make hydraulic fracturing less fresh-water intensive in order to preserve a valuable resource.

"We need to figure out a better way to do it," said Glenn Schaaf, ConocoPhillips vice president of drilling and production, speaking at an energy conference in Houston.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, is a technique in which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is pumped at high pressure to break up shale rock formations deep underground and access the gas trapped within. It has drawn scrutiny from environmental advocacy groups and regulators for potential risks to drinking water and other environmental effects.

The procedure has allowed oil and natural-gas companies, including Conoco, to gain access in recent years to the massive gas reserves held in shale formations across the U.S.

The energy industry needs to let the public know that oil and gas companies are not significant users of fresh water in the U.S. despite the drilling activity, but it also "needs to do its part to reduce" water use, Schaaf said.

The energy industry is using old technology to unlock the potential of shale reserves reliably and safely, but needs to develop new ways to make drilling and the use of resources more efficient, he added.

Schaaf said one option would be if companies that, for instance, have drilling operations in the Eagle Ford in Texas team up to build a plant that allows the replacement of fresh water used in hydraulic fracturing with salty water from the Gulf of Mexico.

-By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9207; [e-mail]