News Regions Hardcopy Market Data Careers Web- tv Events Subscribe Focus About Upstream Advertise

gas booster: the Barnett shale is one of the unconventional plays which have helped bump up US gas reserves

EIA sees boost in US gas cache

The head of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) told Congress today that the agency will report later this week that US proved natural gas reserves increased from 2007 to 2008 by 3%.

That is slower growth than the 13% increase in proved gas reserves seen the year before, the EIA's Richard Newell told the Senate Energy Committee at a hearing on natural gas.

Reuters quoted Newell as saying that technology has "led to large increases in available reserves by expanding the types of resource rock that can be drilled economically," particularly with shale rock formations.

So far, the Barnett shale in Texas has been developed the most, but other shale formations, such as Haynesville in Louisiana, may produce more gas supplies and the Marcellus shale in the North-East is much bigger, Newell said.

Proved reserves are those volumes of gas that geological and engineering data show with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to the EIA.

"Estimates vary, but the US probably now has between 50 and 100 years' worth of recoverable natural gas which is accessible with technology available today," BP America chief executive Lamar McKay told the Senate committee.

e-mail this to a friend

e-mail this to a friend

FREE Daily newsletter print
most popular
search
subscriber login
recruitment

Specialist Reservoir Engineer

Our client is looking for highly motivated and highly skilled E&P professionals who can assist with increasing its export production capacity from 2.5 million bopd to...

Petro Staff

Instrumentation & Control Engineer

OMV Exploration & Production GmbH is an independent operating division of OMV AG, the leading oil and natural gas group in Central and Eastern Europe. Currently we are...

OMV Exploration & Production

OHS INSPECTOR (Well Engineering)

We are seeking senior drilling, completion, and petroleum engineering operations candidates to fill a number of roles immediately, and to fill further positions over the...

NOPSA

Managing Director

Drydocks World

Senior Tax Advisor

ConocoPhillips

General Manager Onshore Production

Park Brown International

Staff Subsea

Orion Group

VP Planning

Brunel

Commercial Advisor

Air Energi

Shutdown Coordinator

Orion Group

Lead Metallurgist

Air Energi

click here for all positions
news from other nhst publications