Cheaper

Gulfport Energy Corp. officials have reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the Utica Shale, unveiling details of an accelerated, but cheaper, drilling plan coordinated with the construction of much-needed infrastructure in the play.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell on Wednesday filed legislation intended to provide cheaper energy to Interior Alaskans by giving the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) the ability to provide up to $275 million in financing for a natural gas liquefaction plant and for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution system within the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Noting that the cost of storage is probably three times cheaper today than five years ago, an energy trading firm executive made a pitch for a new marketing process for gas storage capacity at the LDC Gas Forum Midcontinent conference Tuesday in Chicago.

With stranded ethane in the Appalachian Basin starting to find markets, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP is looking at ways to move other natural gas liquids (NGL) from the region.

Noting that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has revolutionized U.S. energy production, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Thursday boasted that his state’s rules for regulating the use of fracking are the “strongest and fairest” in the nation. Hickenlooper made the remarks as part of his state of the state address in Denver.

Cheaper heat, lower prices for electricity and cleaner air all could be possible for residents of Fairbanks, AK, and rural areas with greater reliance on natural gas, according to a newly released report.

The current spread between U.S. and European/Asian natural gas prices supports export of liquefied domestic gas from the Lower 48, but it’s likely too uncertain to support the long-term, billion-dollar commitment needed to bring large-scale liquefaction to the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to an analysis by Pan EurAsian Enterprises Inc. released Monday.

Activity in natural gas shale plays has tended to heat up fast, especially when producers get a whiff of liquids-rich gas. Besides buying up acreage, producers are committing to gathering, processing and transportation services, and buyer’s remorse can result from moving too fast, a Range Resources executive warned recently.

Learning how to tap successfully into the Marcellus Shale has come at a big cost and a lot of work, but producers now are producing more gas at a cheaper price, Range Resources Corp. COO Jeff Ventura said last week.