Making

Natural gas-fired generation and storage in Wyoming and California could play a key role if Wyoming is to fulfill a long-term strategy of making itself a major exporter of wind-generated electricity, according to a second phase study released Monday by the state Energy Office and Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA). The cost of a 12 GW wind collector system and integration system for wind and natural gas would total tens of billions of dollars, the report said.

The Eagle Ford Shale, where oil and natural gas development began in earnest less than three years ago, is making a big economic footprint in the 24-county South Texas area where it lies, according to researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).

With traders not interested in making waves ahead of fresh inventory news Thursday, natural gas futures action was fairly quiet on Wednesday as the February contract traveled a slim range of just more than a dime before closing the regular session at $4.531, up a nickel from Tuesday’s finish.

Is the latter half of January going to be extra-cold (quite bullish) or merely seasonable (somewhat bearish)? A lot of money could be riding on making the best strategic trading choices in such circumstances, and a few traders have indicated that they’re not sure what path to follow.

The day before the Pittsburgh City Council voted to prohibit natural gas drilling there (see Shale Daily, Nov. 17), commissioners in South Fayette Township, on Pittsburgh’s southwestern edge, voted to ban drilling in conservation areas and all residential zones, including suburban communities and rural farmland.

Marcellus Shale drillers in Pennsylvania will gain a sympathetic ear in January when Gov.-elect Tom Corbett takes office.

Thanks to its acquisition of Dominion’s natural gas exploration and production business, longtime coal giant Consol Energy is making its name in the natural gas sector as the Canonsburg, PA-based diversified energy producer continues to analyze its position in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Thanks to its acquisition of Dominion’s natural gas exploration and production business, longtime coal giant Consol Energy is making its name in the natural gas sector as the Canonsburg, PA-based diversified energy producer continues to analyze its position in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

On a one-on-one basis with affected property owners, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has offered various options for making whole the owners of the destroyed or damaged San Bruno, CA, homes from the Sept. 9 natural gas transmission pipeline explosion and fire that killed eight, destroyed 37 homes and damaged 18 others.