At What Commodity Price Does NatGas Drilling Stop?

How low might the commodity price of natural gas go before drillers really will quit drilling and wait for the price to go up? We’ll give you “the magic number” in a moment. But first, the (rather sketchy) rationale for how we calculate that number.

It seems almost every day we hear in the mainstream news that the low commodity price of natural gas is forcing drillers to suspend or slow drilling operations—especially in the “dry gas” areas of the Marcellus Shale. Contrary to what “everyone” seems to be doing, Shell, Chevron and others have said they will continue drilling regardless of the low price of natural gas. And more than one analyst has said announcements of drilling cutbacks by Chesapeake and others is so much hot air and that they will believe it when they see it.

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