US natural gas use hits record amid Marcellus, Utica freeze-offs
Friday, February 1, 2019
As expected, U.S. home and businesses consumed record amounts of natural gas for heating on Wednesday as temperatures dropped and an Arctic-like freeze blanked the eastern half of the country, according to Reuters.
Gas demand in the Lower 48 states jumped to a preliminary record high of 145.1 billion cubic feet per day on Wednesday, topping the current all-time high of 144.6 bcfd set on Jan. 1, 2018.
Simultaneously, gas production was projected to fall to a four-month low of 84.9 bcfd yesterday due primarily to freeze-offs in the Marcellus and Utica, the nation’s biggest shale gas-producing region in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Learn more: Reuters > U.S. natgas use hits record during freeze; utilities urge conservation
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.