Shale Gas A Major Contributor To Supplies

Here is more information on the abundance and viability of producing gas from shale. Perhaps the term "unconventional" should be dropped from the phrase "shale gas". It might make financing easier to obtain.
Peter



Laboratory Evaluation of Shale Permeability by InGrain RocksMonday, January 5th, 2009
A Houston company has developed new methods for assessing the production potential of shale based upon an examination of nanofractures in core and cutting specimens. Read more in an article at the Houston Chronicle.

Unconventional Natural Gas is AbundantWednesday, October 1st, 2008
Stephen Holditch of Texas A&M University described a research project at the Oil & Gas Journal’s Unconventional Gas International Conference & Exhibition that estimates volumes of recoverable unconventional natural gas in US sedimentary basis exceeds the amount of recoverable natural gas in conventional deposits by ten fold. More on his study at the Oil and Gas Journal.

Unconventional Natural Gas Production TrendsSaturday, September 6th, 2008
The Energy Information Administration includes the graph of natural gas production shown below in the natural gas section of their 2008 Annual Energy Outlook.


The graph shows onshore unconventional gas production shooting up between 1990 and 2006 but leveling off for the projected data. It seems that there are enough undrilled natural gas leases ticking towards expiration to steepen the production rate rather than allow it to go level.