Sometimes mainstream media gives the Marcellus/Utica industry a gift–and doesn’t even realize it. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a story in today’s edition about the change in fuel source for downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Thermal began supplying steam to heat buildings in downtown Cleveland in 1894. The first fuel they burned? Wood. Later came coal. And today? The point of the story is that Cleveland Thermal is now using a new plant that is 100% natural gas-fired to create the steam used to heat 94 downtown Cleveland buildings. We haven’t been to Cleveland in a long time, but we have to guess 94 buildings in downtown is likely most of downtown. And it’s all being heated with Utica/Marcellus shale gas. Here’s a truly fascinating factoid: Cleveland Thermal (now owned by Corix Group) estimates it will take around 1.3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas per year to produce the steam that heats those 94 buildings. We ran a story in March 2016 about the amount of natural gas Cabot Oil & Gas is getting from their average Marcellus Shale well (see Go Big or Go Home: Cabot O&G Wells Average EUR of 27 Bcf). Be prepared to have your mind blown. When Cabot drills a new well, on average, over the life of that well (perhaps 20 years), Cabot will get 27 Bcf. So one, single well drilled by Cabot in Susquehanna County, PA could supply ALL of the heat for ALL of downtown Cleveland for 20 years. Behold the power of shale gas…
