Study: Marcellus Shale boom has led to lower energy costs
After 10 years of gas production in the shale fields, a new study from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania takes a closer look, demonstrating that Pennsylvania's residential consumers enjoy gas bills that are on average 40-percent lower (than 2007 bills) and that the electric power sector is now the nation and state's largest gas consumer.
The study documents how the infusion of low-cost shale gas into regional energy markets substantially lowered gas commodity prices compared to national prices at the Henry Hub, lowering both gas and power bills for consumers.
The study also found demand for gas to Pennsylvania's electric power sector increased 250 percent between 2007 and 2016. Pennsylvania's natural gas production increased by almost 2,800 percent, which now accounts for 16 percent of national annual gas production.
"In terms of cost, shale gas has been a clear win for consumers," said Christina Simeone, author of the report and director of policy and external affairs at the Kleinman Center.
For more information, visit www. kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu or call (215) 573-4293
Highlands completes hydraulic fracturing at East Denver
Highlands Natural Resources has commenced flow back operations at the Wildhorse and Powell wells at its East Denver Niobrara Project in Colorado. The wells were hydraulically fractured 55 times each for a total of 110 intervals. Flow back operations were targeted for the end of October 2017, so Highlands' operations at East Denver continue to be within the company's original timeline. At press time, Highlands expected to announce the results of these flow back operations in the coming weeks.
The East Denver Niobrara is a farmin opportunity for horizontal oil and gas wells targeting the Niobrara shale formation in a well-studied area of the Denver Julesburg Basin.
For more information, visit www. highlandsnr.com or email info@high landsnr.com.
Haynesville shale production highest since end of 2013
Recent increases in drilling activity and well production rates are raising natural gas production levels in the Haynesville region, according to EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook. Marketed natural gas production in Haynesville reached 6.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in September after remaining near 6 Bcf/d for the previous three years. The recent growth in Haynesville natural gas production is attributable to an increase in the number of active drilling rigs (starting late in 2016) and a trend toward higher per-well initial production rates.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Haynesville shale play holds 174.6 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas resources, the second-largest level in the U.S. after the Appalachia region.
For more information, visit www.eia.gov or email InfoCtr@eia.gov.
Shale gas beats coal in head-to-head study
Despite widespread concern about potential human health impacts from hydraulic fracturing, the lifetime toxic chemical releases associated with coal-generated electricity are 10- 100 times greater than those from electricity generated with natural gas obtained via fracking, according to a new University of Michigan study.
The study is a comparative analysis of the possible health effects of electricity produced from shale gas and coal. It looks at the amount of toxic chemicals released into the air, soil and water during both the resource extraction and electricity generation phases of both technologies, and concludes the potential human health impacts of electricity from coal are much higher.
The findings suggest that as the U.S. energy market continues to shift from coal to natural gas, the overall "toxicity burden" of the electricity sector will decrease. The study is believed to be the first head-to-head comparison of coal and shale gas from the resource extraction phase through electricity generation.
For more information, visit www. umich.edu or call (734) 615-8230.
