enery prices

After capturing a healthy and growing share of Canadian natural gas consumption with shale production from the United States, exploration and production companies are poised to repeat the feat in oil markets.

President Obama’s tilt toward accepting the economic opportunities from U.S. natural gas abundance may have been in fits and starts, but the right-leaning oil and gas industry is finding a lot to praise today, industry officials said Wednesday.

Lake Charles Exports LLC (Lake Charles) last Wednesday became the third prospective liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal tapped by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to export domestic natural gas worldwide, bringing such authorized export volumes to 5.6 Bcf/d.

A cooler-than-normal July for much of the United States led to decreased levels of demand for natural gas and coal to fuel power plants in a trend that is expected to continue for the rest of the summer, according to data collected by Genscape Inc.

A call to action was sounded last Tuesday at the Rocky Mountain Energy Summit for U.S. oil and natural gas operators to take what industry pioneers created and continue reinventing for the future — with the public’s backing.

Natural gas traders haven’t been able to figure out where prices consistently are headed, but some things are becoming clearer: output has remained flat for close to a year. And coal generators have a lot of power in determining where gas prices will be, according to an analysis by Stephen Smith Energy Associates.

Colorado’s chief oil and natural gas regulator told executives in Denver last week that adopting a culture in the onshore that goes above and beyond what’s legally required will do more than anything to achieve community acceptance.

The six participating planning authorities of theEastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative(EIPC) –ISO New England,New York ISO,Ontario’s Independent Electric System Operator,Midcontinent ISO,PJM Interconnectionand theTennessee Valley Authority– have issued a request for proposals (RFP) to conduct an analysis of natural gas infrastructure and its interfaces with the electric grid within their combined footprints. The Gas-Electric System Interface Study, which is to be completed by mid-2015, “will develop a baseline of the electric and natural gas systems, including their planning, operation and interactions,” EIPC said. “In addition, the study will look at the adequacy of the gas system to satisfy generation needs over five- and 10-year horizons; identify contingencies on the gas and electric systems that could negatively affect the other; and examine the pros and cons of dual-fuel capability for generation versus expanding gas system infrastructure.” Study results are expected to help improve gas-electric coordination to ensure electric system reliability. Intent to bid notices are due by Friday (Aug. 9) and proposals are due Aug. 30. The study would be funded under aU.S. Department of Energygrant.

Production from unconventional wells in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale was strong enough to keep the U.S. gas output total at 81.84 Bcf/d in May, just 0.3% higher than the 81.61 Bcf/d reported in May 2012, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).