Deposits

Total volumes embedded in only the five Alberta shale deposits with “immediate potential” for development are colossal: 3,424 Tcf of natural gas, 58.6 billion bbl of gas liquids byproducts, and 423.6 billion bbl of oil, says a report by the resource appraisal group of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB). Even the immense current estimates of the province’s total resource endowment could eventually turn out to be conservative, the board said.

The clock is ticking for the United States to begin exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) before competitors corner the growing global market, according to Donald Raikes, vice president of Dominion Transmission Inc., one of the companies seeking permission to export shale gas.

Prompted in large part by the recent discovery of significant shale gas deposits in the country’s north and east, Mexico will invest $10.4 billion to build more than 2,800 miles of natural gas pipelines and local distribution networks by 2018, a nearly 40% increase compared with the country’s current pipeline network, President Felipe Calderon said.

The United States in 2010 led the world in natural gas production for the second year in a row, boosted by massive shale deposits, according to the latest statistical review by BP plc.

The United States in 2010 continued to lead the world in natural gas production, boosted by massive shale deposits, according to the latest statistical review by BP plc.

A plethora of natural gas shale deposits, persistently high rig counts, hedging and available debt capacity have stifled domestic natural gas prices for possibly three years, analysts at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) said last week. Tradition Energy analysts also blamed “the poor prospect of economic growth in the second half of the year” in revising down its gas price forecast.

Produced water from natural gas shale deposits has drawn a lot of attention nationwide, but that focus soon may turn to produced water in coalbed methane (CBM) operations, according to the results of a new study.

Produced water from natural gas shale deposits has drawn a lot of attention nationwide, but that focus soon may turn to produced water in coalbed methane (CBM) operations, according to the results of a new study.

A plethora of natural gas shale deposits, persistently high rig counts, hedging and available debt capacity have stifled domestic natural gas prices for possibly three years, analysts at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) said Tuesday.