By Rebecca Torrellas, Online Editor

Marcellus, Bakken, Haynesville, and Eagle Ford are making room for another big unconventional player – Niobrara.

Emerging quietly, Niobrara is showing its shine and its paying off. According to an interview with Steven Degenfelder, senior vice president of exploration at Double Eagle Petroleum, in the Casper Star Tribune, Niobrara acres were previously going for prices in between $40 to $70 per acre. Benjamin W. Hulburt, Rex Energy president and CEO, said the average cost in the D-J Basin is now at $600 an acre. Big Bear Oil & Gas recently bought a 314-acre parcel with a bid of $3,200 per acre.

Operators are starting to release completion details. One horizontal wildcat flowed at an unstimulated rate of 1,000 b/d of oil, the second at 730 b/d of oil, and the third flowing between 1,200 b/d to 1,500 b/d of oil (if you want more details, subscribe immediately to our International Highlights, included in what will be a growing area of additional data and premium content. Click here to subscribe). Is Niobrara the next Marcellus or Eagle Ford? Unconventional gas continues to drive the hearts of operators, and they all want to beat each other to the next big thing. While early results have made all the difference, a lot of Niobrara still remains a mystery. It is that mystery that’s bringing operators by the dozens with money in hand. And with offshore drilling still at a standstill in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil and gas industry needs good news… and Niobrara may it! For more information on this popular oil shale, register to listen to the FREE webinar, “The Emerging Niobrara: Development Strategies and Future Potential” Thursday, July 29th, at 10 a.m. CDT. Click here to register.