Shale gas

The United States is leading the way in discovering and producing natural gas embedded in rock, adding substantially to the estimates of how much natural gas can be found in this country. These formations are known as shale gas.

Source: Energy Information Administration based on data from various published studies. Updated: May 9, 2011

These resources are so abundant that analysts believe they will account for more than half of all new reserve growth in just a few years. For example, in 2009, the Potential Gas Committee reported that shale gas accounts for 33% of the total potential natural gas resources in the United States.

Geologists have known for quite some time that natural gas could be found in these shale gas formations, but until recently it was too difficult and costly to produce. Technological advances, including the ability to drill down and then sideways for long distances, have unlocked these massive resources.

There are several areas around the country producing natural gas from shale, but here are the biggest ones:

• The Barnett Shale in Texas covers more than 15 counties and is the largest natural gas play in the state of Texas. The technologies used in the Barnett Shale are now being used in other shale plays around the country. Natural gas is even being found under the Dallas/Forth Worth Airport.
  
• The Haynesville Shale is near Shreveport, Louisiana. This shale gas play extends from northwestern Louisiana to southwestern Arkansas and eastern Texas.
  
• The Fayetteville Shale is near Fayetteville, Arkansas
  
• The Marcellus Shale is the largest geological formation, reaching from West Virginia to Upstate New York. Estimates are that this area might contain up to 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. If only 10 percent of that natural gas were produced, it would provide enough natural gas to meet the U.S. demand for two years.

How natural gas is produced

For a comprehensive primer on shale gas, click here to read the U.S. Department of Energy’s Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer

Facts about shale gas

• Developments in the extraction of natural gas in dense shale formations thousands of feet below the earth’s surface gives our country access to vast new supplies of this clean energy resource.
• Over the past 60 years, more than 1 million wells in the United States have been safely produced using a process called hydraulic fracturing.
  
• Numerous federal and state laws and regulations govern this process, from the initial permits to the safe disposal of fluids.
• The average depth of a deep shale gas will is more than 7,500 feet, which is 1.5 miles below the earth’s surface and far below any fresh water supplies.
• The amount of water used varies based on the rock formation, but a typical deep shale gas well may use more than 3.5 million gallons of water. It’s the amount of water consumed by:
  
  • A 1,000 megawatt coal-fired power plant in 8.5 hours
    
  • A 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant in 4.5 hours
    
  • Six acres of corn in a season

Click here to view the American Petroleum Institute’s video on how hydraulic fracturing is done.

Click here to reach the hydraulic fracturing chemical registry website. This website is a joint project of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. On this site you can search for information about the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. You will also find educational materials designed to help you put this information in perspective