Petroleum Industry in Alabama, 1977

In 1944, with the discovery of the Gilbertown Field in Choctaw County, Alabama became an oil-producing state. Since that time, many new fields have been discovered, and Alabama is rapidly becoming a major oil-and gas-producing state. Increased exploration and development resulting from the Energy Crisis of the early and middle 1970's has made Alabama a prime target for petroleum and natural gas producers. In 1967, there were 10 producing oil and gas fields in the State and by 1977, there were 55. in 1977, 129 wells were permitted, of which 70 were completed as producers, 51 as dry holes and 8 were either shut-in or still being drilled as of December 31, 1977. A total of seven new fields were discovered in 1977. The greatest activity was in the Black Warrior basin of north Alabama, where shallow producing horizons and high success rates made it a favorable area for exploration and development. The production in 1977 for the State was 11,303,339 barrels of oil; 6,952,553 barrels of condensate; and 61,554,764 thousand cubic feet of gas. 6 figures, 7 tables