EQT Converts Marcellus Drilling Rigs to Run on LNG
Drilling rigs take a lot of horsepower to run, and the engines that run them are big and use a lot of fuel. That fuel is typically diesel, and the emissions may (or may not) cumulatively contribute to air pollution if there are enough drilling rigs in a particular region. At least that’s the contention of the federal EPA.
EQT, in a public relations coup, is the first to start converting its Marcellus Shale drilling rigs from running on diesel to running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG has a couple of advantages: it costs about 40% less than diesel, and it pollutes less when burned. EQT’s first conversion is a rig operating in northern West Virginia.
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In 2011, Marcellus drilling expanded exponentially in Pennsylvania. According to the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), companies drilled 2,755 Marcellus shale gas wells in Pennsylvania in 2011, up from 1,386 in 2010. That’s nearly a 200 percent increase (or doubling) in one year alone.