Technology

It might seem that the Eagle Ford and Marcellus shales are being developed at breakneck speed, but it’s important to remember that these are the early days in two resource plays that will be natural gas breadbaskets for the nation in the decades to come.

A recently announced acquisition by California-based water handling company Heckmann Corp. is intended to expand the range of water and wastewater services available to producers in the Haynesville Shale in East Texas, and there are plans to take the business to other shale plays.

As new technology has increased output and because of its small carbon footprint, natural gas will play a bigger role in the world’s energy consumption as long as government policies give the go-ahead to take over more demand, Royal Dutch Shell plc CEO Peter Voser said Monday.

BP plc on Thursday said the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and Macondo well blowout had spurred innovation and collaboration, resulting in new technology that will provide ways to deal with future offshore disasters.

BP plc on Thursday said the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and Macondo well blowout had spurred innovation and collaboration, resulting in new technology that will provide ways to deal with future offshore disasters.

Evolving technology for tapping shale, coal and tight formations will eventually increase Canada’s recognized natural gas endowment about six-fold to an astronomical 4,000 Tcf, according to a new national inventory of deposits prepared for the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG).

Evolving technology for tapping shale, coal and tight formations will eventually increase Canada’s recognized natural gas endowment about six-fold to an astronomical 4,000 Tcf, according to a new national inventory of deposits prepared for the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG).

According to Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections, total domestic natural gas production will grow from 20.6 Tcf in 2008 to 23.3 Tcf in 2035. With technology improvements and rising prices, production from shale plays grows to 6 Tcf in 2035, more than offsetting declines in conventional production, the agency said in the “Annual Energy Outlook 2010” (AEO2010) reference case, which was released Monday.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. subsidiary Energy Resource Technology GOM (ERT) said it has made a deepwater oil and gas discovery in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) at its Jake Prospect in Green Canyon Block 490 that it estimated at 50-75 Bcfe gross on a proved, probable and possible basis. The discovery well was drilled to 13,504 feet in 3,740 feet of water and encountered 134 feet of net oil and gas pay in a single sand interval. ERT said the well has been cased and temporarily abandoned for a future subsea completion. First production is estimated in mid-2011. ERT owns a 25% working interest in both the discovery well and Green Canyon Block 490. ERT also recently discovered 20 feet of oil and gas pay at its 75% owned and operated South Timbalier 145 Field. The discovery was drilled to 14,193 feet true vertical depth. That well is currently being completed and is expected to commence production this month.