EOG Resources Chairman and CEO Ezra Yacob says international exploration is returning to the center of the oil and gas industry as the roughly 20-year-old U.S. shale sector enters mature consolidation rather than declining. EOG has brought a couple of wells online in Abu Dhabi, where Yacob says the shale geology resembles South Texas’ Eagle Ford and is outperforming expectations. Producers are again examining opportunities across the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, Australia and Alaska, while seeking to apply shale drilling and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) expertise abroad. Bobby Tudor of Artemis Energy Partners says the U.S. no longer has enough growth capacity to meet the global demand gap expected after the Iran war. He also says years of reduced frontier activity have weakened the industry’s exploration experience. Companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental Petroleum, APA Corp., Murphy Oil and Continental Resources are expanding or reconsidering overseas activity. The search for new discoveries remains a central motivation for EOG and veteran wildcatters such as Bill Armstrong, who is pursuing projects in Alaska, Venezuela and offshore Aruba.