Consultant

A research team led by the University of Texas at Austin (UT) is collaborating with nine natural gas producers on a major field study to measure methane emissions at onshore gas well sites, about which only a handful of empirical data exist.

Despite the flood of natural gas on the market and stubbornly low prices, higher trading volumes should come as no surprise, according to one market consultant.. read more

Independent petroleum engineering consultant Bob King has been named the interim supervisor of the WyomingOil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC) as the state searches for a permanent replacement for Tom Doll, who resigned effective July 2 (see Shale Daily, June 18). King, who has worked in the state’s oil and gas industry for 30 years, served in a similar capacity on an interim basis in 2008-2009, according to Gov. Matt Mead. “The OGCC has a critical role, and Bob’s experience will provide necessary leadership as we begin the search for a permanent supervisor,” Mead said. State law requires the supervisor position to be filled by a petroleum engineer or petroleum geologist.

Historic low prices for natural gas are reconfiguring the electricity generation sector, particularly for renewable or clean power, according to Sacramento, CA-based consultant/independent power entrepreneur Mark Henwood. The market is beginning to notice what Henwood called a “rapid shift in natural gas economics.”

Porter Bennett, president of Evergreen, CO-based industry consultant Bentek Energy LLC, will retire at the end of the year. Bennett, who founded Bentek in 1985, will be an adviser to the firm. Bentek was sold to Platts, a division of the McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc., earlier this year. James Simpson, who is currently vice president and general manager, will become president, the company said. Simpson previously modeled large structured transactions in both gas and power for Enron North America and led natural gas marketing and trading at MarkWest Hydrocarbon and Eprime Inc.

Porter Bennett, president of Evergreen, CO-based industry consultant Bentek Energy LLC, will retire at the end of the year. Bennett, who founded Bentek in 1985, will be an adviser to the firm. Bentek was sold to Platts, a division of the McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc., earlier this year. James Simpson, who is currently vice president and general manager, will become president, the company said. Simpson previously modeled large structured transactions in both gas and power for Enron North America and led natural gas marketing and trading at MarkWest Hydrocarbon and Eprime Inc.

In a new national consumer poll, natural gas beat renewables and other forms of energy as to which projects should be considered for expansion, something an overwhelming majority of consumers also say would create badly needed jobs in a struggling economy.

Natural gas production and demand in Mexico is forecasted to continue growing, but it will be more slowly than the government predicts, an industry consultant told NGI. Meanwhile, the country’s long-standing prohibition against foreign ownership of oil and gas resources and widespread drug cartel-related violence will hobble development that Mexico needs, he said.

Natural gas production and demand in Mexico is forecasted to continue growing, but it will be more slowly than the government predicts, an industry consultant told NGI. Meanwhile, the country’s long-standing prohibition against foreign ownership of oil and gas resources and widespread drug cartel-related violence will hobble development that Mexico needs, he said.