New Numbers Indicate the Enormous Potential of the Marcellus Shale

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An editorial in the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail takes the city of Morgantown, WV to task for banning hydraulic fracturing both in and outside of its borders as “nonsense” that should be overturned by a court. The interesting part of the editorial (for MDN) is the opening statement which is a good indicator of the enormous potential of the Marcellus Shale—even larger than most people had dared hope:

Cabot Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. recently reported two huge successes with Marcellus shale wells in Susquehanna County, Pa. Each well can produce 30 million cubic feet of natural gas a day – enough to supply 1,000 homes for a year.

Chesapeake Energy Corp., which once predicted that each Marcellus well would yield 3.5 billion cubic feet of gas over their productive life, now estimates they will produce more than 7 billion cubic feet.*

It is believed the Cabot wells producing 30 mcf of gas per day is a new record. And Chesapeake’s estimates are that the Marcellus will produce twice the output originally predicted. If that prediction proves true, it will have a profound impact on the energy future of the United States for a generation and more.

*Charleston Daily Mail (Jun 28, 2011) – The Marcellus shale must be exploited