OilPrice.com | Energy | Natural Gas

OilPrice.com | Energy | Natural Gas Analysis of natural gas prices and also developments in the natural gas sector. Shale gas and new fracking techniques are covered in detail. http://oilprice.com/ Fri, 25 May 2012 0:50:56 GMT Oilprice.com (info@oilprice.com) Scientists Studying the Link between Fracking and Recent Earthquakes in Texas http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Scientists-Studying-the-Link-between-Fracking-and-Recent-Earthquakes-in-Texas.html Scientists from two Texas universities are looking into a pair of recent earthquakes near the Texas-Louisiana border for clues to whether they were related to underground injection of oil and gas drilling waste produced in the course of hydraulic fracturing or fracking.One of the scientists studying the two recent Texas quakes was on a team that concluded a swarm of earthquakes near Dallas in 2008 and 2009 were related to the disposal of drilling wastes, according to E&E’s Energy Wire.Cliff Frohlich, a research scientist at the University…

]]> cp@oilprice.com (Climate Progress) Tue, 22 May 2012 22:54:34 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Scientists-Studying-the-Link-between-Fracking-and-Recent-Earthquakes-in-Texas.html Kiev Stands to Lose EU-Russia Natural Gas Game http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Kiev-Stands-to-Lose-EU-Russia-Natural-Gas-Game.html European lawmakers this week said they had indications that Kiev was ready to take a closer look at updating its gas transit system. A substantial portion of the Russian natural gas bound for Europe runs through the Soviet-era pipeline system in Ukraine. Contractual, and perhaps political, problems between Kiev and Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom have sparked something of a pipeline war in Europe, however. With two major pipeline proposals sitting on the desk of those with a controlling interest in one of the largest natural gas fields in…

]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Thu, 17 May 2012 22:49:18 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Kiev-Stands-to-Lose-EU-Russia-Natural-Gas-Game.html Iran's Green Revolution may come from Energy http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Irans-Green-Revolution-may-come-from-Energy.html Against the backdrop of discussions about pending negotiations over its controversial nuclear program and the upcoming deadline of an European embargo on Iranian oil comes a quiet push by the Islamic republic to become a major electricity exporter. Tehran had said it was expecting to secure electricity deals with Syria and Lebanon and had somehow attracted an estimated $1 billion to help build new power plants in the country. With some of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, Tehran might be able to shrug off international sanctions by…

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]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Wed, 16 May 2012 23:13:41 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Irans-Green-Revolution-may-come-from-Energy.html How a Deeper Understanding of Fracking could Increase the Lifespan of Oil Wells http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/How-a-Deeper-Understanding-of-Fracking-could-Increase-the-Lifespan-of-Oil-Wells.html There is a real, practical limit to the amount of oil that can be recovered from a reservoir. Depending on the availability and economic viability of different technical approaches that limit might be less than 25% of the total volume of oil originally in place, or it can be more than 50%, as has been achieved in some of the fields in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA). But one cannot get out more oil than is originally there, and in most cases it is difficult to reach even half that value. However, where the volumes of oil that have been left…

]]> summersd@oilprice.com (Dave Summers) Tue, 15 May 2012 23:33:41 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/How-a-Deeper-Understanding-of-Fracking-could-Increase-the-Lifespan-of-Oil-Wells.html Taking a Second Look at the Southern Gas Corridor http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Taking-a-Second-Look-at-the-Southern-Gas-Corridor.html With Russia covering two-thirds of Europe’s gas needs, Europe’s buzzword du jour since the start of the recurring Russo-Ukrainian disputes in 2005 over prices, debt and supplies of natural gas has been energy supply diversification. Aiming to maintain its presence in the European market and to meet its rising gas demand, Russia plans to boost its gas supplies to the European Union (EU) through its new Nord Stream (55 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year ) and the proposed South Stream (63 bcm per year ) pipelines, which are to…

]]> (Saltanat Berdikeeva) Thu, 10 May 2012 0:20:06 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Taking-a-Second-Look-at-the-Southern-Gas-Corridor.html Abundance of Methane Hydrates will Destroy the Oil Market http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Abundance-of-Methane-Hydrates-will-Destroy-the-Oil-Market.html U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu contributed a statement to an announced breakthrough in research into tapping the vast fuel resource of methane hydrates that could eventually bolster already massive U.S. natural gas reserves.As Al Fin pointed out yesterday natural gas is priced to a barrel of oil equivalent at about $10-$11 per the estimable Geoffrey Styles view, something less than 10% of the cost of oil. For North Americans adding a viable and hopefully low cost means to make use of gas hydrates could be giant boost…

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]]> james@pokemoncard.info (Brian Westenhaus) Wed, 09 May 2012 0:29:05 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Abundance-of-Methane-Hydrates-will-Destroy-the-Oil-Market.html An Economic Analysis of Fracking http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/An-Economic-Analysis-of-Fracking.html When people look at “fracking”—the production of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing techniques–they see different things. Critics see polluted wells, exploding houses, and earthquakes—an environmental disaster in the making. These anti-frackers have a simple solution: ban it. In contrast, industry supporters see hydraulic fracturing as a safe technology that drillers have been using for decades without controversy and that now promises a new era of energy abundance. The pro-frackers, too, have a simple solution:…

]]> dolane@oilprice.com (Ed Dolan) Tue, 08 May 2012 4:36:15 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/An-Economic-Analysis-of-Fracking.html Egyptian-Israeli Natural Gas Agreement Now Officially Over http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Egyptian-Israeli-Natural-Gas-Agreement-Now-Officially-Over.html On 22 April Mohamed Shoeb, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company head said that his company unilaterally abrogated its contract to ship natural gas to Israel because of contractual obligations violations.Populist evidence from Egypt indicates that the natural gas agreement was deeply unpopular in the world’s most populous Arab state, and since 2011, the pipeline supplying gas from Egypt to both Israel and Jordan has been attacked 14 times.This is a potentially a major political game changer in the Middle East, overturning more than 30 years…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Sat, 05 May 2012 1:27:19 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Egyptian-Israeli-Natural-Gas-Agreement-Now-Officially-Over.html Methane Hydrate Production could Replace Fracking as Next Major Concern http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Methane-Hydrate-Production-could-Replace-Fracking-as-Next-Major-Concern.html The U.S. Department this week said it worked with ConocoPhillips and the Japan, Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. on the extraction of natural gas from methane hydrate ice structures from the North Slope of Alaska. Scientists were able to coax natural gas out of the crystals by injecting carbon dioxide and nitrogen into ice formations. The U.S. energy secretary said the field test was just the beginning, but given the history of methane hydrates, it could replace fracking as the next major concern in the natural gas industry.U.S. Energy Secretary…

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]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Sat, 05 May 2012 1:20:47 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Methane-Hydrate-Production-could-Replace-Fracking-as-Next-Major-Concern.html The Impossibility of Forecasting the Natural Gas Market http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/The-Impossibility-of-Forecasting-the-Natural-Gas-Market.html Let me start by admitting that the future of natural gas is especially difficult to predict. Commodity forecasting is always a pseudo-science at best. At times it seems that its primary function is to make astrology look respectable.But America has enormous natural gas resources, roughly a 100 year supply. That supply could be the low cost/low pollution energy source that provides a bridge to a better economic and environmental future. Or it may just sit in the ground for some time.After 25 years in the oil and gas business I spent ten years working…

]]> (Judith Curry) Sat, 05 May 2012 1:10:52 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/The-Impossibility-of-Forecasting-the-Natural-Gas-Market.html Rickshaws Run on Compressed Natural Gas Could Help Delhi's Pollution Problem http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Rickshaws-Run-on-Compressed-Natural-Gas-Could-Help-Delhis-Pollution-Problem.html Looking to be a little greener for Earth Day? Ride in an auto rickshaw (if you happen to be in India)!These small vehicles offer a way to quickly duck and dash around other automobiles while being a little bit kinder to the environment. Generally characterized by a sheet metal body or an open frame resting on three wheels, auto rickshaws have a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver, and seating space for up to three passengers in the rear.Source: blog.travelpod.comA Greener Option/A Needed OptionAccording to National Geographic,…

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]]> futuresgr@oilprice.com (Green Futures) Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:11:18 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Rickshaws-Run-on-Compressed-Natural-Gas-Could-Help-Delhis-Pollution-Problem.html Let the Azeri Gas Race Begin http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Let-the-Azeri-Gas-Race-Begin.html The consortium behind the Shah Deniz natural gas field in Azerbaijan announced this week it was ready to move ahead with Front End Engineering and Design. That means the consortium is getting ready to pick a transit network to carry natural gas from Azerbaijan through Turkey and onto European markets. European energy officials, at least since 2009, have been waiting for saviors in Baku to come to their rescue to ease the Russian grip on the energy sector. While the race is officially on for the so-called Southern Corridor, there's still a full…

]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:39:09 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Let-the-Azeri-Gas-Race-Begin.html Is Cheniere Energy a Contrary Indicator for Natural Gas? http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Is-Cheniere-Energy-a-Contrary-Indicator-for-Natural-Gas.html Some people seem to have a knack for hopping aboard a trend just before it ends. Cheniere Energy Inc., owner of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in the United States, appears to be a case in point. In the world of finance, Cheniere would be what is called a contrary indicator, one that suggests that a trend is about to reverse. In late 2004 when Cheniere received federal approval to construct a new LNG import facility at Cameron Parish, Louisiana, most experts believed U.S. natural gas production was already entering a long-term…

]]> cobbi@oilprice.com (Kurt Cobb) Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:16:52 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Is-Cheniere-Energy-a-Contrary-Indicator-for-Natural-Gas.html Russia Rattled by Rising Importance of Shale Gas http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Russia-Rattled-by-Rising-Importance-of-Shale-Gas.html Whilst it is exceedingly difficult to summon up much sympathy for either Russia’s state-owned natural gas monopoly Gazprom or Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin, the dynamic rise of natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking,” has raised alarm bells in the highest reaches of the Kremlin. Why? Because Gazprom’s European customers, tired of being ripped off by Gazprom, are avidly exploring the possibilities of undertaking fracking to develop their own sources of the “blue gold,” and nowhere…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:37:25 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Russia-Rattled-by-Rising-Importance-of-Shale-Gas.html Natural Gas is Sticky http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Natural-Gas-is-Sticky.html Richard Morningstar, the U.S. envoy for Eurasian energy, spoke before a Greek delegation on the importance of a diverse, but interconnected, global energy market. Morningstar's interests lie predominately in European energy security, diplomatic-speak for easing the Russian grip on the regional energy sector. Energy, however, is not a zero-sum game, he said. That's in part because somewhere between the lines, he was speaking of a grand strategy for interdependence guided by U.S. economic principles. Morningstar spoke before delegates in Greece,…

]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:23:02 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Natural-Gas-is-Sticky.html Why America's Missing Out on the Billion-Dollar Global LNG Game http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Why-Americas-Missing-Out-on-the-Billion-Dollar-Global-LNG-Game.html The fast-growing Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) market is creating serious wealth around the world. So who is profiting the most right now – and who will profit most in the coming years?In short, it's Australia. The country is already the #4 exporter of LNG in the world. Seven new plants are in various stages of planning and development – That translates to roughly $200 billion in capital investment... and an enormous number of jobs.Now let's look at the U.S. in the context of LNG. America as you probably know produces massive amounts…

]]> schaeferk@oilprice.com (Keith Schaefer) Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:59:12 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Why-Americas-Missing-Out-on-the-Billion-Dollar-Global-LNG-Game.html Elgin Gas Leak Presses London on Transparency http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Elgin-Gas-Leak-Presses-London-on-Transparency.html A looming natural gas disaster off the coast of Scotland prompted the British government to address transparency issues regarding oil and natural gas leaks in its territorial waters. Eight months ago, there were concerns expressed when U.S. supermajor Chevron was accused of withholding information about what turned out to be one of the worst oil spills in the region in decades. North Sea reserves are in decline, suggesting international energy companies are searching in less than secure areas. Yet it seems to have taken a flare burning a few hundred…

]]> dg@oilprice.com (Daniel J. Graeber) Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:14:13 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Elgin-Gas-Leak-Presses-London-on-Transparency.html Exploring the Witch Hunt Against Hydraulic Fracturing http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Exploring-the-Witch-Hunt-Against-Hydraulic-Fracturing.html Natural gas production, from hydrocarbon rich shale formations, known as “shale gas,” is one of the most rapidly expanding trends in onshore oil and gas exploration and production today. A key element in the emergence of shale gas exploration has been the refinement of cost?effective horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. These two processes, along with the implementation of protective Best Management Practices, have allowed shale gas development to move into areas that previously were not accessible. New gas developments…

]]> stevensba@oilprice.com (Barry Stevens) Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:04:31 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Exploring-the-Witch-Hunt-Against-Hydraulic-Fracturing.html Gas Glut: Looking at the Options Available to U.S. Natural Gas http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Gas-Glut-Looking-at-the-Options-Available-to-U.S.-Natural-Gas.html With global warming driving down the demand for natural gas as a home heating fuel and natural gas drillers producing record amounts, an oversupply situation has developed quickly. Stocks of natural gas are rising. As a result natural gas prices have fallen way below profitability and drillers are scrambling to cut back production.The natural gas surplus that is in our underground storage facilities may be full before fall, forcing producers to slow production until a market for the gas can be found. There are only so many things we can do with…

]]> postcarbon@oilprice.com (Post Carbon) Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:33:44 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Gas-Glut-Looking-at-the-Options-Available-to-U.S.-Natural-Gas.html Russia's Far East - Rising Energy Superpower http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Russias-Far-East-Rising-Energy-Superpower.html Siberia has traditionally conjured up images of fearsome cold and death, first as a place of exile under the Russian Tsars and later under the murderous regime of Lenin’s Bolsheviks. A great appeal of eastern Siberia for political exile was its extreme remoteness. Originally only reachable by ship, eastern Siberia’s isolation was only somewhat alleviated by the opening of the single-track Trans-Siberian railroad in 1916. Russia’s Pacific coast city Vladivostok is closer to Tokyo and Beijing than Moscow. Russia’s…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:58:46 GMT http://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Russias-Far-East-Rising-Energy-Superpower.html