Increased

Exports of U.S. gas into Canada are on track to top 1 Tcf this year, having increased six-fold from 158 Bcf in 2001, at the same time Canadian pipeline deliveries into the United States continue to slide.

Fuel cells that use natural gas to chemically produce electricity with small onsite distributed generation units are receiving increased attention because of low natural gas prices, according to Danbury, CT-based FuelCell Energy Inc. (FCEL), a leading manufacturer of gas-based units that are up to 2.8 MW in size.

Production of oil, natural gas and condensate from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas increased dramatically from 2010 to 2011, according to a new study of the play and its impact on the region. And there’s more to come, thanks in large part to the attractive economics offered by the Eagle Ford’s oil and liquids-rich gas.

Summer power supplies along the entire West Coast are looking more than adequate with forecasts calling for increased amounts hydroelectric power and low-priced natural gas in the Pacific Northwest, and the reports that the three-month outage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (Songs) in Southern California now is scheduled to end next month.

As of last Tuesday, certain fees paid by producers to the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) have increased by 150% in order to fund the Oil and Gas Regulation and Cleanup Fund, which was created by Senate Bill 1, passed by state lawmakers last year.

While it increased earnings slightly in 1Q2012 compared to 1Q2011, Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp. had to overcome a 22% decrease in natural gas prices and a 13 cents/share negative impact on earnings from milder-than-normal winter weather, according to CEO David Emery.

All the things that North America’s natural gas operators are doing today to gin up demand for the fuel here and abroad — liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, increased use as a transportation fuel, petrochemical facility expansions, power plant conversions from coal to gas and more — already are being investigated by ExxonMobil Corp. today, an executive said last week.

All the things that North America’s natural gas operators are doing today to gin up demand for the fuel here and abroad — liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, increased use as a transportation fuel, petrochemical facility expansions, power plant conversions from coal to gas and more — already are being investigated by ExxonMobil Corp. today, an executive said Thursday.

What would you call a lot of natural gas, ready at a moment’s notice? Some might call it a storage facility. Others might call it the Marcellus Shale.