Natural Gas

The $50 Million Mile: Natural Gas Infrastructure Challenges, Opportunities

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It is difficult to exaggerate the scale of the changes that the burgeoning natural gas and oil production in the US are setting in motion, so some numbers help set the tone. Numbers like $50 million a mile, and $70 billion a year.

Those are two of the figures cited by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Robert Bryce, who writes about and studies the energy sector for the think tank. Breaking Energy spoke with him at the US Association for Energy Economics conference in Austin, Texas in November, and he detailed some of the opportunities and the challenges for the natural gas sector. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 4, 2012 at 12:45 PM

Are US Shale Gas Resources Overstated? Part 1

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A forthcoming book argues that the country’s shale gas plays contain only about a quarter of the fuel that has been estimated by the US Energy Information Administration, and other widely used industry and academic assessments.

“Cold, Hungry and in the Dark: Exploding the Natural Gas Supply Myth,” by Bill Powers asserts that the quantity of unproved but technically recoverable natural gas in US shale plays is approximately 127 trillion cubic feet, or about a quarter of the 482 tcf estimated by the EIA in its Annual Energy Outlook for 2012. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 3, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Canada’s Petronas Acquisition Decision Will Impact North American LNG Exports

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With global LNG demand projected to exceed supply by a wide margin, the prospects for North American exports of liquefied natural gas are exceptionally strong. But an unexpected development has raised a question about Canadian participation in this emerging export opportunity.

The question is: Will the Canadian government decide to block any of the pending acquisitions of its E&P players by foreign energy majors? Keep reading →

 /  Published November 30, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Disruptive Energy Technology: GTL Promises Gas Revolution

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The nation is flooded with natural gas. For the last twelve months, the amount of gas available to the market exceeds five-year averages. With more gas than anyone can use, producers are now looking for new consumers. Two new opportunities have emerged and one could disrupt the nation’s economy in some very positive ways.

Less than five years ago it looked like North America’s natural gas market was going to become highly dependent on foreign imports. Anticipating a growing need to offset declining natural resources, investors built eleven liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals along the east coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Seven more were approved by federal regulators. But during the last 12 months, very little LNG was imported. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 29, 2012 at 1:00 PM

NGV Market Set For Organic (Not Government Led) Growth: Westport CEO

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Government can help the natural gas vehicle industry to gain a foothold in the market, but isn’t likely to work as a stimulus in the long run because many executives distrust its abilities to sustain support, according to the head of a leading maker of natural gas engine technology.

David Demers, chief executive of Westport Innovations said incentive programs are always fragile because they are subject to shifting political winds, and can cause serious disruption if they are withdrawn, so business leaders are more inclined to build their models on the basis of market forces. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 28, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Not So Fast on Energy Independence

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The International Energy Agency (IEA) claims in their World Energy Outlook that it is now technically possible for the United States to become energy independent by 2020. But that’s not their primary message. IEA is also warning that any independence will be short lived, and that message has been lost on most analysts.

IEA is an international organization based in France, which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 28 member countries, including the United States. It is not to be confused with the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which is a different organization that is nestled within the US Department of Energy (DOE). The IEA is not the EIA. But both organizations have credibility. Both organizations provide analysts with primary sources of information about energy, particularly about consumption data. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Natural Gas Research ‘Space Race’ Is On

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It has taken a couple of years for the energy industry to acknowledge a new reality: Natural gas availability is soaring in contravention of forecasting models that have been in use for decades, and the fuel is set to transform everything from power generation and transport to chemicals and even the trade deficit.

As old operating realities have been thrown out the window, as major oil players increasingly become natural gas companies, as billions of dollars of investment in proposed export terminals is argued over inside the sector and out, the strategic arm of this most strategic of industries is racing to catch up. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 20, 2012 at 11:45 AM

Video: Experts Consider the Prospect of US Energy Independence

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The concept of the United States being energy independent has been around for decades, with the past 8 US presidents calling for it and even suggesting dates by when it might be achieved. However, the recent ramp up in domestic oil and gas production has drastically reduced oil imports and rejuvenated the discussion, with some believing the long sought-after goal could finally be around the corner.

Some have suggested that North American energy independence – including petroleum exports – is a more realistic pursuit. Others maintain energy security is what really matters and that it’s impossible and even undesirable to disconnect the US from the global oil market. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 19, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Natural Gas: Energy You Can Hold Infographic

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When people think about applications for natural gas in the US some of the most iconic images are kitchen stove burner tips and large power plants. However, natural gas liquids are widely used in manufacturing thousands of everyday products, as well as fertilizers and other applications that people may not be as familiar with. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Electric System Reliability in Question as More Coal Plants than Expected Retire

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials are seeing “no surprises” as the power industry plans compliance with new mercury rules, but some industry officials say the surprises are still to come – in customer bills.

EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy told the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in Baltimore this week that “just a handful” of companies with specific compliance challenges have come to EPA to discuss getting additional time to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS). Keep reading →

 /  Published November 19, 2012 at 8:30 AM
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