Future Developments in Natural Gas
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Red River Securities, LLC, Oil & Gas Exploration & Development, Plano, TX

Why Oil & Gas

Future Demand

Future Development

 
 
 
 

  • As a country, we are preparing for the future through the positive exploitation of new and revitalized natural gas energy sources. The following is an abbreviated summary of new areas of natural gas exploration and production. For a review of more complete descriptions, see www.naturalgas.org.

    Areas of Development

    Tight Gas
    A form of unconventional natural gas is referred to as tight gas. This is gas that is stuck in a very tight formation underground, trapped in unusually impermeable, hard rock, or in a sandstone or limestone formation that is unusually impermeable and non-porous (tight sand).

    Tight gas makes up a significant portion of the nation's natural gas resource base, with the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimating that, as of January 2009, 309.58 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of technically recoverable tight natural gas exists in the U.S. This represents over 17% of the total recoverable natural gas in the United States, and is an extremely important portion of natural gas resources.

    Methane Hydrates
    Methane hydrates are the most recent form of unconventional natural gas to be discovered and researched. These interesting formations are made up of a lattice of frozen water, which forms a sort of 'cage' around molecules of methane.

    Estimates range anywhere from 7,000 TCF to over 73,000 TCF. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that methane hydrates may contain more organic carbon than the world's coal, oil, and conventional natural gas - combined! However, research into methane hydrates is still in its infancy. It is not known what kind of effects the extraction of methane hydrates may have on the natural carbon cycle.

    Shale Gas
    Natural gas can also exist in shale deposits. Devonian shales are formed from the mud of shallow seas that existed about 350 million years ago (during the Devonian period of the Paleozoic era). Shale is a very fine-grained sedimentary rock, which is easily breakable into thin, parallel layers. It is a very soft rock, but does not disintegrate when it becomes wet.

    Although estimates of the amount of natural gas contained in these shales are high, it is expected that only about 10 percent of the gas is recoverable. However, their potential as a natural gas supply is still very promising, given an adequate technological and economic environment. As of November 2008, FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) estimated that there are 742 TCF of technically recoverable shale gas in the United States, representing a large and growing share of total recoverable resources.

    Coalbed Methane
    Coal, another fossil fuel, is formed underground under similar geologic conditions as natural gas and oil. The Potential Gas Committee estimates that 163.0 TCF of technically recoverable coalbed methane exists in the United States, making up 7.8% of the total natural gas resource base.

    Geopressurized Zones
    Geopressurized zones are natural underground formations that are under unusually high pressure for their depth, typically located at great depths, usually 10,000-25,000 feet below the surface of the earth. However, of all of the unconventional sources of natural gas, geopressurized zones are estimated to hold the greatest amount of gas. Most of the geopressurized natural gas in the U.S. is located in the Gulf Coast region. The amount of natural gas in these geopressurized zones is uncertain. However, experts estimate that anywhere from 5,000 to 49,000 TCF of natural gas may exist in these areas. Given the current technically recoverable resources are around 1,100 TCF, geopressurized zones can offer an incredible opportunity for increasing the nation's natural gas supply.

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