Recession

America’s current recession is the worst since the 1930s and “the most synchronized” with failing markets worldwide, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) David Wyss, chief economist, told reporters Monday. Unfortunately for natural gas producers, it also coincides with the blossoming of the nation’s unconventional gas resource base.

It’s no secret that the natural gas industry is long on supply and, thanks to the recession, currently short on market. Complicating the picture are the shifting geography of supply sources as producers target unconventional basins, and pipeline capacity constraints, which are expected to periodically push prices down further and put a ceiling on high prices, the founder of Bentek Energy LLC said last Wednesday.

It’s no secret that the natural gas industry is long on supply and, thanks to the recession, currently short on market. Complicating the picture are the shifting geography of supply sources as producers target unconventional basins, and pipeline capacity constraints, which are expected to periodically push prices down further and put a ceiling on high prices, the founder of Bentek Energy LLC said Wednesday.

Recession-driven sales declines, particularly among large commercial and industrial customers, are affecting combination Milwaukee-based utility Wisconsin Energy (WE), but the company nevertheless reported increased profits for the first quarter compared to the same period in 2008.

Natural gas producers won’t be the only ones feeling pain from the world’s bloated gas supply and anemic recession-driven demand outlook. North American coal producers are poised for a hit as the gas market rebalances on the back of fuel switching from coal to gas for power generation, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts wrote in a recent report.

Natural gas producers won’t be the only ones feeling pain from the world’s bloated gas supply and anemic recession-driven demand outlook. North American coal producers are poised for a hit as the gas market rebalances on the back of fuel switching from coal to gas for power generation, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts wrote in a recent report.

The recession has surely driven a few people to dig under their couch cushions for loose change. In cash-strapped Kentucky one lawmaker has proposed that the state look under its own property for oil and gas deposits that might be extracted and monetized.

As energy companies continue to scale back and focus on their core businesses during the recession, Integrys Energy Group said its recent announcement to divest its riskier unregulated competitive natural gas and electric supplier segment has already produced interest from potential suitors.

As energy companies continue to scale back their operations and focus on their core businesses in the face of the current global economic recession, Integrys Energy Group said its recent announcement to divest its riskier unregulated competitive natural gas and electric supplier segment has already produced interest from potential suitors.