cHonotraiiznocnotnaslpcicoumoupsleatcioknoswaleredgexmtrenmt oeflywhiemrepoarntdanbty fwohroemfftehcetipvaepedrrwaiansapgresoefnstehda.le gas reservoirs. The decisions taken to improve production performance in such environments are not always guided by engineering processes that tie production performance to completion designs. In this paper, we offer insight on the impact of fracture spacing on the propagation direction of the subsequent fractures in a sequential fracturing scenario. We use the principle of stress interference caused by open fractures to guide the propagation direction of subsequent fractures. We perform a sensitivity analysis on the factors that affect stress shadow effect. These factors include both formation properties as well as treatment variables. We apply our three-dimensional geomechanical model to observe the behavior of three typical shale gas reservoirs: Bakken, Barnett and Eagle Ford. We provide optimum spacing values for the three cases that allow fractures to follow trajectories that are transverse and orthogonal to the wellbore. We also provide an understanding of the variables that an operator can control to have an efficient drainage of the reservoir and avoid intersecting fractures. We provide a relation between the efficiency of the fracture treatment and the net closure pressure response observed in the field and explain how the net closure pressure values from the fracture treatments can be used a diagnostic tool for generating more efficient completion design.