Big Digital Energy

Digital Wildcatters
  • 4.3 (15)
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Big Digital Energy with Chuck Yates, Mark Meyer and Kirk Coburn. Weekly news in energy covering oil and gas and cleantech.

  1. 2D AGO

    US Bombs Iran, Oil Barely Flinches, OPEC Ramps & the Regime Change Gamble | BDE 03.03.26

    The Persian Gulf just became a live fire zone and crude is barely flinching. What does that tell you about where oil markets really stand? David Pursell, EVP Planning Reserves and Fundamentals at Apache Corporation, joins Kirk and Mark to break down the US strikes on Iran, why this is nothing like Operation Midnight Hammer, what OPEC is actually capable of producing, how strategic reserves are everyone's insurance policy, and whether the real story here is regime change, not barrels. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 US strikes on Iran and initial oil market reaction2:50 Shipping disruptions and Strait of Hormuz concerns5:30 Weeks not days and the case for regime change7:26 Who actually cares and global market impact11:35 Iranian oil on tankers and strategic reserves14:54 OPEC production increases and spare capacity questions18:48 Strait of Hormuz as a chokepoint21:03 The regime change problem and keeping the lights on29:19 Sunni-Shia dynamics and what comes next34:14 Structurally bearish factors and why the market yawns41:50 US oil demand growth and fundamentals check44:04 The IEA critique cornerhttps://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

    49 min

  2. FEB 23

    Texas Railroad Commission Candidate on Zombie Wells, Injection Crisis & CCS Scam | 02.23.26

    Hawk Dunlap, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, pulls no punches on zombie wells, produced water injection, and why carbon capture is a taxpayer funded scam. From 27 years of international well control across 100 countries to excavating 150 leaking wells on a Texas ranch, Hawk brings the kind of boots on the ground credibility this conversation demands. The primary is March 3rd. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 - Intro and Hawk Dunlap origin story4:46 - Well Control Management and international career8:19 - The Container Ranch and zombie wells13:43 - Excavating 150 wells and what they found18:20 - Litigation, Railroad Commission, and accountability27:18 - Produced water injection as the defining issue28:53 - Water recycling and the orphan well fund36:21 - Orphan well plugging program problems45:01 - Carbon capture and why Hawk opposes it56:28 - Railroad Commission name change1:01:11 - AI and risk assessment for orphan wells1:12:21 - Campaign trail and closing thoughtshttps://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    1h 17m

  3. FEB 13

    Chevron Buys Texas Ranch to Dodge Lawsuit, Wind Blade Graveyards & Musk's Space AI | BDE 02.13.26

    Kirk, Chuck, and Mark cover Chevron's settlement to buy a West Texas ranch rather than face trial over decades of alleged pollution, Ken Paxton's lawsuit against a fiberglass recycling site turned wind turbine blade graveyard, and Elon Musk's plan to put AI data centers in space powered by solar panels. They debate whether the space data center concept is real or just Musk messing with software guys, discuss BP suspending share buybacks to reduce debt after their energy transition distraction, and reflect on Expand Energy leaving Oklahoma City nearly a decade after Aubrey McClendon's death, marking the end of an era for the company he built. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 - Welcome and first concert stories02:11 - Chevron West Texas ranch settlement08:27 - Environmental litigation implications11:12 - Wind turbine blade graveyard lawsuit17:23 - Green energy waste problem19:02 - Elon Musk's space AI data centers24:24 - Building data centers in space27:35 - Earth's electricity limitations30:55 - Space compute infrastructure race33:16 - BP suspends share buybacks37:38 - Expand Energy leaving Oklahoma City41:19 - Houston's oil and gas consolidationhttps://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    44 min

  4. FEB 6

    Devon-Coterra Mega Merger, Data Center Cancellations Spike & Rubio's Mineral OPEC | BDE 02.06.26

    Kirk Coburn, Mark Meyer, and Chuck Yates tackle Devon's $58 billion merger with Coterra—a Delaware Basin land grab with Marcellus as an afterthought. They break down why scale matters when your cost of capital beats everyone else's, why Oklahoma keeps building great companies Houston eventually swallows, and why data center cancellations reveal America's infrastructure crisis. The real insight? PJM's grid failures prove you can't bolt 21st century AI demand onto 20th century infrastructure with 19th century permitting. Plus: Trump's trade flurry, China's mineral monopoly, and why we have 2 icebreakers while Russia has 54. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 - Goldman's Jersey City building and Connecticut commuters01:36 - Collide's IRR triples with software sales03:19 - Why retail AI can't handle deep energy verticals05:50 - Devon-Coterra merger breaks: $58B Delaware play08:29 - $1B in synergies means AI replaces people11:03 - No-premium stock mergers finally catch on13:19 - Panther to WPX to Devon Delaware journey15:11 - Oklahoma builds energy companies Houston acquires17:12 - Grok's brutal take on the merger20:15 - Scale drives cost of capital advantages22:13 - Data center cancellations spike from 6 to 2525:23 - Microsoft's Azure growth disappoints Wall Street27:18 - Why AI compute costs become investor concerns29:20 - Collide builds Spindletop for on-prem processing31:40 - Data centers pivot from urban to distributed models33:40 - PJM cancellations expose grid reliability crisis36:31 - Trade policy lightning round begins39:14 - US shipbuilding can't compete with China's 300x capacity41:37 - Rubio builds OPEC for critical mineralshttps://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    44 min

  5. JAN 29

    Winter Storm Fern Flops, ERCOT Grid Survives & IEA's $15 Trillion Oil Mistake | BDE 01.29.26

    Winter Storm Fern exposed the grid's contradictions, New England burned 40% oil for power while sitting 300 miles from the Marcellus Shale, ERCOT's batteries sat idle during $2,000/MWh spikes, and solar panels disappeared under snow. Meanwhile, the IEA quietly restored their realistic demand forecasts after five years of transition fantasy, revealing a $15 trillion underinvestment hole. Toby Rice reminded everyone what actual energy leadership looks like by getting wells back online in a hard hat instead of pontificating from Davos. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. You're Not Getting Another Corporate Job (Here's the Bypass) | Unrigged 001https://youtu.be/l9Afd5ZsoFw?si=Gu8-y7S-S0MxfpJl00:00 - Grading Winter Storm Fern's impact across regions00:27 - Texas holds steady while Tennessee takes the hit01:30 - Ice driving disasters make great Instagram content03:26 - Trucks on ice: the overconfidence problem04:33 - Casino trips and Livingston's reputation05:27 - New England burns 40% oil during peak demand06:25 - Marcellus Shale produces 28 BCF/day but can't reach Boston07:40 - The hypocrisy of Massachusetts energy lectures09:29 - Still importing LNG into Boston after 22 years10:28 - Tennessee outages hit harder than expected12:00 - Why batteries didn't discharge during price spikes14:16 - Cold weather physics limits battery performance16:05 - ERCOT as the world's biggest Rube Goldberg machine17:32 - Tax subsidies create grid dysfunction18:16 - Snow coverage kills solar instantly19:22 - 95 gigawatts of renewables vs 85 gigawatt peak demand20:27 - ERCOT's unique generation philosophy21:37 - 10 BCF/day of gas production offline from freeze22:47 - Toby Rice gets wells back online in the field23:39 - IEA's five-year detour from reality26:14 - $15 trillion underinvestment hole in upstream spending27:58 - Shale revolution changed exploration economics30:27 - Exploration skills at historically low capacity32:05 - Why supermajors can't compete in unconventional33:28 - Shell's struggles in Argentina and Eagle Ford35:13 - Nothing cures prices like prices36:32 - Europe's transition policies cause real damage38:28 - IEA leadership needs radical overhaul39:42 - Software sales and oil company workflows41:27 - Corvette shopping and career transitions https://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    45 min

  6. JAN 23

    Trump at Davos, Natural Gas Spike & Continental Energy Halts Drilling | 01.23.26

    Kirk, Chuck, and Mark reunite on the Big Digital Energy Show to dissect the week's chaos - from natural gas spiking 75% in five days while Waha trades negative, to Trump's Davos windmill rant and the mainstream media's Greenland invasion hysteria. They break down why Harold Hamm's decision to shut down Continental's drilling makes perfect economic sense at $70 oil, debate whether 50% well-level returns ever translated to actual corporate performance, and explain how OPEC's Amine Nasser is signaling that global spare capacity is actually lower than the 2.5% he's publicly claiming. Plus, the crew explores how AI-native workflows are creating trillion-dollar opportunities by capturing decision-making data that Excel spreadsheets and Salesforce never could, all while Kirk dodges the incoming Dallas ice storm from his parents' house. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. Cody Jinks & Ward Davis - Full Interview | Late August Sessions Ep. 1https://youtu.be/p2qmKBTrWLU?si=t5q3HXo8-bp9cU7x 00:00 Winter storm forecast and natural gas price spike04:36 Waha pricing chaos and infrastructure bottlenecks07:49 Trump's Davos speech and windmill comments15:16 Military action in Greenland media hysteria explained19:00 UK turning North Sea into museum of regret21:14 China's climate strategy and green technology positioning26:20 Harold Hamm shuts down Continental drilling completely31:14 Well-level returns versus corporate performance disconnect35:15 Aramco CEO on global spare capacity concerns40:07 AI-native software capturing workflow data https://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    44 min

  7. JAN 19

    Trump vs Exxon on Venezuela, Chevron’s Caution, & Conoco’s $6–$12B Problem | BDE 01.19.26

    Venezuela’s “open for business” moment gets a reality check, plus a wild Chavez-in-Houston story that tells you everything you need to know. Mark and David Pursell unpack why Exxon and friends are hesitant, what the EIA gets right and wrong, why the forward curve is the real lie detector, how Iran risk actually moves barrels, BP’s renewable hangover, and Tesla casually speed-running a lithium refinery in Texas. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Tech hiccups and setup01:00 Chavez Houston story05:00 Trump press conference and Venezuela hype08:00 Why Venezuela isn’t investable14:30 EIA outlook and US production19:00 Rigs, frac spreads, and revisions22:00 Backwardation vs contango27:00 Iran supply risk30:30 Condensate and power constraints38:30 Geopolitical risk premiums40:30 BP write-downs and strategy shifts46:30 Energy transition reality check53:30 Tesla lithium refinery in Texas56:30 Data centers and power scramble01:01:30 Wrap-up and outlookhttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    1h 3m

  8. JAN 14

    Landman Pay Stagnates, AI Hits the Field, & NAPE Signals a Bigger Energy Shift | 01.14.26

    Landman day rates have basically been stuck in neutral since 2000, and Kyle Reynolds of RBG Permian walks Chuck through why that’s turning into a real problem as the field vets age out. Along the way they hit what AAPL actually does, why records still aren’t fully digital, how AI is speeding up title work without replacing judgment, and why NAPE is quietly turning into a marketplace for way more than just oil and gas. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 Oscars cold open and grim stats tease01:00 AAPL basics and what it actually does03:20 The field landman shortage and aging workforce05:10 Day rates vs inflation and the ROI argument06:05 Why tech hasn’t removed courthouse work12:15 Speeding up drill readiness with better pay and tools15:30 AI in land work, productivity, and replacement fears20:00 Why humans still need the rules to break them26:00 Data centers, minerals, and land becoming the bottleneck33:20 NAPE dates, format changes, and what’s new36:20 Hubs: bitcoin, minerals, rare earths, offshore, data centers39:05 Energy is really electrons now41:10 Paying for quality and avoiding expensive cleanup laterhttps://twitter.com/collide_io https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters

    44 min
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4.3
out of 5
15 Ratings

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Welcome to Big Digital Energy with Chuck Yates, Mark Meyer and Kirk Coburn. Weekly news in energy covering oil and gas and cleantech.

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