US Upstream week in brief: Blockbuster start to 2017 for Alaska explorers

Report summary

It's not all about unconventionals. Not one but two discoveries have been announced in Alaska so far in 2017, with Repsol's Horseshoe discovery and ConocoPhillips Willow discovery in the Greater Mooses Tooth Unit. While neither of these discoveries will come online until the 2020s, the implication is that the play has a lot more running room. What other discoveries will they find up there on the frigid North Slope? And will these new fields and their associated capex help the state recover from the low oil price environment? Other stories covered this week include: Marathon enters the Delaware by acquiring BC Operating Permian gas growth outpaces the Marcellus. Will the Permian become the next constrained play?  Location location location MMEX Resources takes advantage of the Permian Basins West Texas location and announces plans to build a refinery to ship products to Mexico. Will the increased adoption of electric vehicles strain the electricity grid? Or pose a problem to the oil market