Belief

Going against conventional belief surrounding multizone completion success in coalbed methane wells, more natural gas and less water was found in the shallower coals of the wells tested, according to a study just completed by GST WellDog, a privately held natural gas development research and analysis firm that was tasked with developing coalbed methane development best practices.

The widely held belief of the last few years that natural gas would be transitioning to a crude oil-like global market in the near future appears to be overstated, if a new report from Goldman Sachs analysts holds up. Higher than expected U.S. production levels will likely prolong the “winter disconnect” between U.S. and international natural gas prices through, and possibly beyond 2009, according to Goldman Sachs analysts Samantha Dart and Jefferey Curry.

The widely held belief of the last few years that natural gas would be transitioning to a crude oil-like global market in the near future appears to be overstated, if a new report from Goldman Sachs analysts holds up. Higher than expected U.S. production levels will likely prolong the “winter disconnect” between U.S. and international natural gas prices through, and possibly beyond 2009, according to Goldman Sachs analysts Samantha Dart and Jefferey Curry.

The North American natural gas marketers that consistently have led NGI’s quarterly sales surveys appear to have one belief in common: be reliable.

The North American natural gas marketers that consistently have led NGI’s quarterly sales surveys appear to have one belief in common: be reliable.

Solidifying the general belief that this summer is expected to be warmer than normal for a majority of the country, Andover, MA-based WSI Corp.’s June-August forecast released last week called for just that. However, much like AccuWeather’s summer forecast earlier in the month (see NGI, May 21), WSI sees the real heat waiting to make an appearance during the middle of the season, which could put upward pressure on natural gas and power demand — as well as prices.

Solidifying the general belief that this summer is expected to be warmer than normal for a majority of the country, Andover, MA-based WSI Corp.’s June-August forecast released this week called for just that. However, much like AccuWeather’s summer forecast last week (see Daily GPI, May 18), WSI sees the real heat waiting to make an appearance during the middle of the season, which could put upward pressure on natural gas and power demand — as well as prices.

FERC Commissioner Nora Brownell sees a “growing belief” that the power industry’s planning process “is narrowly focused and isn’t particularly inclusive, nor is it transparent.”

The widely held belief that speculators in the futures market were behind the sharp run-up in natural gas prices over the past year has no basis in fact, said Commissioner Sharon Brown-Hruska of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) last Tuesday.