EIA lowers US shale gas estimate

Decreased: EIA estimate of shale gas resources down by 42%

AP/Scanpix

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Luke Johnson

 23 January 2012 22:48 GMT

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has substantially lowered its estimate of the nation’s recoverable shale-gas resources even as production is expected to increase.



In its 2012 Annual Energy Outlook, released on Monday, the EIA puts the amount of unproved technically recoverable shale gas resources in the US at 482 trillion cubic feet, almost 42% less than its estimate of 827 Tcf a year ago.

“The decline largely reflects a decrease in the estimate for the Marcellus shale, from 410 trillion cubic feet to 141 trillion cubic feet,” the agency said in an early overview of it annual projection of energy markets through 2035.

The assessment of Marcellus resources was made with more…

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