Advances

Technology advances have driven the shale boom and the industry’s ability to analyze markets, but it isn’t any easier to answer the question of how long abundant supplies and low prices will characterize the natural gas industry. That was one of conclusions from three experts on a panel at the LDC Forum: Rockies & West conference on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Technology advances have driven the shale boom and the industry’s ability to analyze markets, but it isn’t any easier to answer the question of how long abundant supplies and low prices will characterize the natural gas industry. That was one of conclusions from three experts on a panel at the LDC Forum: Rockies & West conference on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

In response to technical advances that have expanded Ohio’s hydrocarbon resource potential, The Ohio State University (OSU) has created the Subsurface Energy Resource Center (SERC) with a goal to conduct and facilitate relevant shale research.

The double-digit advances that pervaded the market Monday were disappearing rapidly Tuesday except in the Northeast, where forecasts are getting hotter. Close-to-flat numbers were common outside the Northeast, and small losses were resurfacing in the price mix for the first time since one last Friday.

Operators have the tools today to tap into unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs at a more efficient and more productive pace but the technologic advances have only scratched the rock’s surface, a Schlumberger Ltd. executive said earlier this month.

Shale gas plays and significant technological advances that allow their development helped drive the latest assessment of U.S. natural gas reserves by the Potential Gas Committee (PGC) to a new high.

The spot market showed some signs of returning strength as advances that were concentrated occurred in the West and Northeast outnumbered losses Tuesday, with flat numbers again in vogue. This came a day after a large majority of points softened.

Although not as strong as on the day before when gains across the board were nearly all in double digits, the cash market realized minor advances at a large majority of points Thursday. A small prior-day uptick of 2.8 cents by October futures provided a small amount of support, and there is evidence that recently heavy storage buying may be helping to keep cash quotes afloat.

Northeast citygates, after holding back from the overall advances posted in the rest of the cash market in the first two days of this week, handily led gains at nearly all other points Wednesday. The general price strength occurred despite severely cold weather not being predicted for Thursday outside northern sections of the Northeast and Rockies, the Upper Plains and much of Canada.