Bountiful

The Marcellus Shale’s location near high-consumption centers, its bountiful reserves and its chameleon-like ability to produce wet or dry natural gas in abundance have made it a worthwhile destination for midstream operators, and it should remain so for several years, according to Fitch Ratings.

Coming to grips with the new natural gas market landscape that features plenty of supply thanks to bountiful shale production and lackluster demand due to the current prolonged economic rut, some natural gas and electric utilities across the country are presenting their customers with early holiday gifts in the form of lower energy bills.

Supplies of natural gas are expected to be bountiful this winter, with much of the gas coming from domestic sources (such as shales), which will lead to a relatively stable market this winter, according to two major winter forecasts released by the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) and the American Gas Association (AGA) last week.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are unlocking the continent’s bountiful gas shale plays one by one, leading to a seismic shift in production economics — and prices will never be the same, a Calgary-based energy economist told NGI.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are unlocking the continent’s bountiful gas shale plays one by one, leading to a seismic shift in production economics — and prices will never be the same, a Calgary-based energy economist told NGI.

In the ongoing effort to get bountiful gas supplies out of the Rocky Mountain region and to markets east and west, Questar Pipeline Co. and an affiliate of Enterprise Products Partners LP said they are developing a gas pipeline hub in Colorado.