Lack of pipeline infrastructure still affecting natural gas prices in Ohio Valley
Friday, March 18, 2016
Shale Play Ohio Valley reports that the growth of natural production is believed by some to be the reason for the loss of coal mining jobs, but U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito says there is room for both coal and natural gas.
U.S. shale drillers produced record amounts of natural gas in September, but a lack of pipelines continues to be an issue for companies who need to move it to markets.
Ohio and West Virginia producers have sold natural gas for less than $1 per 1,000 cubic feet. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, the same size unit of natural gas is selling for $2. There are five pipeline projects on the table that would help to move the gas and increase prices, and there are also possible ethane cracker projects that would be built in the Ohio Valley.
Read more: Shale Play Ohio Valley > Capito: U.S. needs Both Coal and Natural Gas
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
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.