Mar 05

Shale Gas the future for Poland?

By ckeddy shale gas, shale gas in Europe 2 Comments »

US know-how could quicken development of shale-gas extraction technologies in Europe, while Poland’s hopes for the technology rise Europe can learn much from the US about how to use its shale-gas sources, according to Halliburton’s ( NYSE: HAL) expert on unconventional resources.

Speaking at the recent  III CE Gas Summit 2010 about whether US shale-gas development could be cloned in Europe, Reinhard Pongratz said that using US know-how could significantly shorten Europe’s learning curve. “If we are more aggressive in trying to deliver US technology to Europe, the development phase can be shorter,” he said. Not all technologies can be copied, but Europe can make much use of the knowledge, he said.

Mr Pongratz was also optimistic about the price of shale gas. “If [extracting shale-gas] can be done economically in the US, we can do it here,” he said.

In early 2009, Realm Energy International Corporation (TSX.V: RLM) began collaborating with Halliburton Consulting on a global evaluation of shale plays with potential for natural gas and oil production with an initial focus on Europe.

The idea of extracting shale gas gained momentum in Poland earlier this year, when Wood MacKenzie experts estimated that the country could be sitting on 1,400 billion cubic meters of shale gas. Other estimates put the amount at as much as 3,000 billion cubic meters.

Poland consumes around 14 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. If the Wood MacKenzie estimations are correct, shale gas extraction could bring the country gas independence for 100 years, at current consumption rates.

Currently, Poland’s annual gas production from domestic sources equals around 4.1 billion cubic meters. About 70 percent of Poland’s gas for consumption is imported.

“We will know how much shale gas there is in Poland in about four years, when the licenses granted to companies looking for this type of gas in Poland will begin to expire,” said Henryk Jezierski, deputy environment minister and chief national geologist.

The first test drills will begin this year and Mr Jezierski estimates that commercial exploitation of shale gas sources will be possible in 10 to 15 years. In the US, shale gas currently constitutes about 10 percent of gas production, but is expected to reach 50 percent by 2020.

Source: Natural Gas for Europe

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Feb 28

Global shale gas markets increasing in value and importance: report

By Trevor J. Murphy shale gas No Comments »

A recent report by Markets and Markets says the global oil shale market is expected to be worth US$12.01 billion by 2015 and have enough reserves to surpass crude oil.

According to the report, current trends suggest the growing demand for energy is expected to exhaust the world’s crude oil reserves in another 40 years while global oil shale resources can supply more than 2.8 trillion barrels of nonrenewable energy – almost three times the capacity of crude oil reserves.

Though the “shale boom” got its start in the United States, over the past year the impact of shale gas has been felt around the world. This revolution in unconventional gas – dubbed “the quiet revolution” by some – has recently helped the US surpass Russia as the world’s largest natural gas producer and has kick started a move by oil giants to seek out shale plays in Europe for the purpose of exploiting its rich resources.

The result is the emergence of a new worldwide market, moving shale gas to the front of new energy sources.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that the days of natural gas being solely a continental commodity dependent on the weather and economic fundamentals in one part of the world are coming to end,” said a recent article in the Calgary Herald. “The shale gas revolution [has] changed the landscape [of global oil and gas].”

SOURCES:
PR Hub: “Markets and Markets: Global Oil Shale Market Worth US$12.01 Billion by 2015″
Calgary Herald: “Gas market goes global”

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Feb 13

Shale gas could be paving the way for an oil-less society

By Trevor J. Murphy shale gas No Comments »

A recent article for PriceOfOil.org suggests current developments in both the oil and natural gas sectors could be heralding the “final chapters of the oil age.”

On the heels of a world economic crisis, the shift from oil to other energy sources is proving to be an entrenched reality across the globe.

Coupled with announcements by oil giants such as BP and industry analysts such as the International Energy Agency that the global demand for oil is on the verge of peaking, other energy resources – like shale gas – are taking over.

A major reason people are abandoning oil is its price. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has warned that the slow pace of global economic recovery in 2010 would lead to a subdued improvement in oil demand this year.

Though the global economy suffered over the last year, oil prices remained stagnant while people were forced to cut costs wherever possible, in some cases causing them to look elsewhere for energy sources.
The allure of “cleaner” gas is also drawing people to gasses like shale because it does not emit as much pollutants into the air when consumed nor does it use as much energy, water and resources to extract.

The shift is causing major problems for the oil industry.

This week French oil giant Total said more closures to refineries around the world due to “fuel product overcapacity,” and last month Russian gas mogul Gazprom announced plans to re-evaluate a large Arctic gas extraction project because of the boom in shale gas (read Russian Gas Giant Feeling The Effects of Shale Gas).

SOURCES:
PriceOfOil.org: “Is an oil-less recovery on its way?”
PriceOfOil.org: “Peak Demand Will Happen Before Peak Supply”
Reuters: “An oil-less recovery dims the future for oil”

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Feb 10

Environmentalist should take heart in shale

By ckeddy natural gas, natural gas in Europe, natural gas in the USA, shale gas, shale gas in Europe No Comments »

The last few months may have been disheartening to the environmental movement — a weak outcome from Copenhagen, broader attention to “climategate” and then the addition of “Himalayagate.”

But all this clamor may have some forgetting the better environmental story of late, notes Michael Economides at Energy (Geo)-Politics:

” This is the triumphant second coming of the supply of clean, far less polluting and far lower-emitting natural gas.

The International Energy Agency in Paris last November released its world outlook report http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/. While some found controversy in the oil forecasts, it was the gas that shocked even the experts: “The long-term global recoverable gas resource base is estimated at more than 850 tcm [trillion cubic meters].” That translates to just over 30,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. That’s more than double the 2008 IEA estimate of 400 tcm.

The difference comes from unconventional gas headed by shale gas, arguably the shiniest recent success in the petroleum industry. Deploying technology that incorporates the latest in drilling and steering long horizontal wells and the spacing and placing of many large hydraulic fracturing treatments, made a mockery of peak gas theories. This is even more dramatic than what the massive offshore oil discoveries in Brazil and the forecasts of Iraqi oil production reaching 11 million barrels per day in ten years have dealt on peak oil alarmism. ”

Source: NewsWatch Energy

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Feb 05

Bloomberg Video: Shale Gas Maybe ‘Total Game Changer’ for Energy Market

By ckeddy energy independence, natural gas in Europe, shale gas, shale gas in Europe No Comments »

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Feb 01

Realm Energy Makes Aggressive Play for European Shale Gas Deposits

By ckeddy natural gas, natural gas in Europe, shale gas, shale gas in Europe No Comments »

Realm Energy has applied for oil and gas rights in multiple countries throughout Continental Europe. The applications were filed following a rigorous evaluation of high potential shale deposits throughout the continent and, if successful, will permit Realm Energy to bring North American technological advancements in shale gas and oil extraction to Europe.

Realm Energy is now concentrating on eight discrete sedimentary basins in seven European countries and submitted applications for oil and gas rights that collectively extend over 1.5 million acres of land. Realm Energy received confirmation of receipt from government bodies that its applications are under active consideration.

“After months of rigorous evaluation, confirmation that our applications are under active consideration is an important step toward our goal of acquiring oil and gas rights over significant lands containing high-potential shale formations,” said Craig Steinke, Executive Chairman. “We stand behind our extensive evaluation process and strongly believe that Realm Energy is positioned to maximize the possibility of favorable outcomes from these applications.”

SOURCE:  Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine

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Feb 01

How is Natural Gas Transported? (Part 1)

By Trevor J. Murphy natural gas, shale gas No Comments »

*This is the first article in a two-part series on the transportation of natural gas.

The efficient and effective movement of natural gas from producing regions to consumption regions requires an extensive and elaborate transportation system. In many instances, natural gas produced from a particular well will have to travel a great distance to reach its point of use. The transportation system for natural gas consists of a complex network of pipelines, designed to quickly and efficiently transport natural gas from its origin, to areas of high natural gas demand.

Transportation of natural gas is closely linked to its storage, as well; should the natural gas being transported not be required at that time, it can be put into storage facilities for when it is needed.

There are essentially three major types of pipelines along the transportation route: the gathering system, the interstate pipeline, and the distribution system. The gathering system consists of low pressure, low diameter pipelines that transport raw natural gas from the wellhead to the processing plant.

Pipelines can be characterized as interstate or intrastate.

Interstate pipelines carry natural gas across state boundaries, in some cases clear across the country; they are the ‘highways’ of natural gas transmission. The interstate natural gas pipeline network transports processed natural gas from processing plants in producing regions to those areas with high natural gas requirements, particularly large, populated urban areas.

Intrastate pipelines, on the other hand, transport natural gas within a particular state but in a very similar way.

In the next part of this series, we will take a closer look at how the construction of the pipelines take place.

SOURCE
NaturalGas.org: “The Transportation of Natural Gas”

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