Disruptions

U.S. shale gas plays continued to make a substantial contribution to the country’s natural gas production, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Tuesday in a report that cited supply gains last month. However, a declining rig count signals that production declines are on the way, the agency said.

Strong growth in the total marketed production of natural gas last year — an estimated increase of 4.8 Bcf/d (7.9%) compared with 2010 — was driven in large part by increases in shale gas production, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

It may take some time before fewer drilling rigs and curtailed output make a dent in domestic onshore natural gas production. Dry gas production skyrocketed 11.6% in January from a year earlier to 2,047 Bcf gross, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.

A UK-based exploration company whose management team has unconventional exploration experience in the United States claims to have discovered a natural gas shale field near Blackpool, in Lancashire, England, that may rival rock in the United States.

The cash market bowed to a general lack of significant heating or cooling load and only minor flooding disruptions of production in South Louisiana in retreating to mostly near-flat numbers and several small losses Tuesday, although moderate upticks were recorded at a majority of points.

Surrounded by disruptions of the Middle East oil supply and nuclear devastation in Japan, President Obama finally recognized the virtues of home-grown natural gas last week, labeling it “first” among the options available to shore up U.S. energy policy.

The appellate court in Washington, DC, last Tuesday ruled that Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) can move forward uninterrupted with oil and natural gas sales under the contested five-year (2007-2012) leasing plan in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

Publicly traded U.S. natural gas producers continued to show gains in 4Q2008, boosting output by 3.5% year/year (y/y), despite disruptions from hurricanes Gustav and Ike, a survey by Raymond James & Associates Inc. has found.

Publicly traded U.S. natural gas producers continued to show gains in 4Q2008, boosting output by 3.5% year/year (y/y), despite disruptions from hurricanes Gustav and Ike, a survey by Raymond James & Associates Inc. has found.