Resumen de Oilfield minerals: : Drums in the deep
Ceramic proppants lost the market share they had previously gained, as users switched back to cheaper frac sand. For this reason and due the long-term nature of frac sand supply contracts at the time, producers of frac sand continued to post profits despite the decline in activity. While ceramic proppants were hit instantly, the negative effect on frac sand Canada also saw a decline from around 7.4m tonnes traded in 2014, frac sand volumes dropped 23% to 5.7m tonnes in 2015. This year, demand is expected to pick up marginally, possibly to 6.4m tonnes, according to IM sources, although this is far from certain.
"There has been some improvement in world pricing, but not an increase in activity," pointed out one source. "To see some real market uptake we'll need to have crude stable at over $55/barrel."
