Improve

Natural gas from the Marcellus Shale could be the answer to Pennsylvania’s energy problems, “should we choose to embrace it,” according to former Gov. Ed Rendell.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $3 million to two University of California campuses for research to improve natural gas production, fuel infrastructure and pipeline reliability. Investment in gas research is intended to accelerate development of clean energy technologies. The UC Riversidecampus was awarded $1.4 million to develop a more efficient thermochemical method for producing renewable gas. The research is thought to have the potential to replace 30% of the natural gas burned in California, which receives 87% of its supplies from out of state. The Riverside campus was awarded $1.2 million to help ensure the compatibility of natural gas with other alternative fuels in the transportation sector. The UC Berkeley campus received $425,000 to study the effects of rising sea levels on gas pipelines in San Francisco Bay.

FERC Thursday opened for public comment a proposal on how to improve coordination between the natural gas and electricity industries to avoid a repeat of the severe gas service outage that curtailed service to thousands of customers in the Southwest last winter.

FERC Thursday issued a proposed rule seeking public comment on how to improve the coordination between the natural gas and electricity industries to avoid a repeat of the severe gas service outage that curtailed service to thousands of customers in the Southwest last winter.

The intent of continued research by the Department of Energy (DOE) into hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is “can we help drive the technology development forward,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a Senate committee Thursday.

Countering recent reports that drilling activity in the Bakken Shale play in North Dakota was being cut back, an analyst with Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) told NGI’s Shale Daily Monday that drilling and production was still “full steam ahead,” although margins may compress some next year.

El Paso Corp.’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. (TGP) has struck two long-term contracts for service on its MPP project, which is intended to improve takeaway capacity from the Marcellus Shale through expansion of TGP’s 300 Line in Pennsylvania.

The energy security risks of the United States worsened significantly in 2010, but shale gas has the potential to improve the security of natural gas supplies and lower energy costs, according to the second edition of an annual report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.

Demand for oilfield services in North America’s onshore — especially hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) — is growing faster than companies can add equipment, Halliburton CEO Dave Lesar said Monday.