Texas oil and gas company to pilot electric fracking in Weld County

WELD COUNTY — A Texas-based company with oil and gas operations in Weld County will soon pilot an electric fracking fleet on eight wells it recently drilled on its Shelduck pad.

Prairie Operating Co. (Nasdaq: PROP) and ProFrac Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: ACDC) announced the project in a news release Tuesday.

Fracking operations are traditionally made up of several diesel-powered engines to pump high-pressured water into a well thousands of feet below the surface to crack the rock to release the oil and gas inside. But Prairie Operating will use ProFrac’s fleet of 25 advanced 3,000 hydraulic horsepower single E-Pumps, according to the release. The fleet also will be equipped with electric blender units, hydration systems and chemical additive units, all powered by 100% natural gas instead of the traditional diesel, the release stated.

“This partnership represents a significant step forward in our commitment to emissions reductions, innovative technology and operational efficiency,” Edward Kovalik, chairman and CEO of Prairie Operating Co., said in the release. “By transitioning to an all-electric frac fleet, we are not only enhancing our operational capabilities but also taking proactive measures to reduce our environmental impact. Combined with our previously announced agreement with High West Energy to provide line power in Weld County, the ProFrac partnership moves us toward our ultimate goal of having all operations, drilling through the production phase, fully electrified.”

To support this fully electric fleet, power will be provided by turbine generators, including two new Solar SMT130 mobile gas turbines, each of which can generate 13.8 kilovolts, according to the release.

Prairie Operating Co. is a Houston-based energy company whose Colorado operations are focused in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which spans Weld County.

ProFrac, also based in Texas, plans to use this fleet to expand its presence in the DJ Basin.

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