Part 5/12:
A significant part of the interview focuses on how technological progress has reshaped oil extraction. Horizontal drilling, extending wells up to four miles into underground rock formations, combined with high-power hydraulic fracturing using water and sand, allows access to previously unreachable hydrocarbons. Wirth explains that beneath the surface, a layered "cake" of rock contains vast quantities of oil and gas. Through targeted drilling, companies can penetrate these layers, unlocking a massive resource base—possibly 90% of the undiscovered potential in the Permian Basin remains untapped.