Geology News
Haynesville Shale Current Events

Since 2008, foreign companies have entered into 21 joint ventures with U.S. acreage holders and operators, investing more than $26 billion in tight oil and shale gas plays.

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Since January 2010, most of the increase in the dry shale gas production in the United States has been generated by the Marcellus Shale and the Haynesville Formation.

“Natural gas at the TCO Appalachia index has historically been priced about $0.25 per million British thermal units above Henry Hub. However, the spread between these two points in spot markets reflects rough parity now, and in forward markets TCO is priced less than at the Henry Hub.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration website.

“After decades of hydraulic fracturing-related activity there is little evidence if any that hydraulic fracturing itself has contaminated fresh groundwater. No occurrences are known where hydraulic fracturing fluids have moved upward from the zone of fracturing of a horizontal well into the fresh drinking water.” Quoted from the Association of American State Geologists statement.

The Marcellus Shale (Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland) could overtake the Haynesville Shale (Arkansas, Texas) as the most productive gas shale in the United States.

The natural gas industry has prepared a movie, “Truthland”, that responds to the HBO movie “Gasland”.

The United States Geological Survey has published: “Water Quality Studied in Areas of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development, Including Areas Where Hydraulic Fracturing Techniques are Used, in the United States.”

The EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2012 report includes information about projected average production profiles for shale gas wells in major United States shale plays by years of operation.

For the past four years the Haynesville Shale has generated economic growth in parts of Louisiana. Declines in natural gas prices have drillers moving their rigs to more profitable targets.

“The chances of rogue fractures due to shale gas fracking operations extending beyond 0.6 kilometres from the injection source is a fraction of one percent, according to new research led by Durham University. The analysis is based on data from thousands of fracking operations in the USA and natural rock fractures in Europe and Africa.” Quoted from the Durham University press release.

“Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination [...] many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin press release.

An article in The Advocate explores who Encana Corporation and other natural gas drillers are responding to natural gas falling nearly $10 per thousand cubic feet since 2008.

The EIA Natural Gas Weekly Update has an interesting graph that tracks the month-by-month dry gas production growth from various shale gas fields in the United States. For example, it shows that production from the Haynesville Shale started to increase significantly in early 2009 and continued until today the Haynesville is the most prolific dry gas producer.

An article on the NOLA.com website reports on the economic benefits that natural gas from the Haynesville Shale as brought to Louisiana. The Shreveport Times website reports on two new reality shows that focus on lifestyle changes brought to the area by natural gas money.

Many property owners are very surprised when the royalties that they receive from a natural gas well on their property decline sharply. They are learning about production decline curves.