Research

Researchers at Platts’ Bentek Energy division estimate natural gas production in the lower 48 States increased by 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to 73.4 Bcf/d during the month of March. That’s an 8% increase over March of 2014. Production was up only 1% from February 2015, illustrating the coming slow down in production. You can’t lay down all of those rigs (875 rigs idled in the past 6 months) and shut-in production without it having an effect sooner or later…
Read More “Bentek: March US Gas Production Up 8% from Year Ago, 1% from Feb”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), our favorite government agency, released a startling new analysis yesterday. As part of the EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015), EIA is predicting that sometime between 2020 and 2030 the United States will export as much energy as it imports. In other words, we will be 100% energy independent. In the next 5-15 years. Something that hasn’t happened since the 1950s when Doo-Wop music was all the rage. Just pause for a moment to reflect on that fact. True energy independence is something nobody thought possible, ever, just a few short years ago. How is it possible? The miracle of hydraulic fracturing and shale, of course…
Read More “EIA Outlook: US Will be Energy Independent in 5-15 Years!”

As MDN pointed out a month ago, the U.S. has seen a turning point in the production of shale oil and gas (see Turning Point: EIA Drilling Report Shows Slow Down in Production). Our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, is fresh out with its monthly Drilling Productivity Report for April/May. It shows a couple of firsts. Last month the major shale plays in the U.S. produced about as much oil as they did the month before (April estimates vs March estimates). But the major shale plays produced 221 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) more of natural gas in April than in March. This month that’s all changed. For the first time, the major shale plays, in May, will have produced 5,700 barrels of oil per day less than the month before, and 23 mmcf/d less of natural gas. However, the Marcellus and Utica shales will both produce more oil and gas in May than in April–although the rate of production in both has greatly slowed…
Read More “First Time Ever: US Shale Produces Less Oil/Gas Month Over Month”

Some astonishing new numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For the third year in a row, when you add both natural gas and oil together, the United States has been the #1 producer of hydrocarbons in the world. But this is even more astonishing and something MDN’s friends disbelieve when we tell them: for the third year in a row the U.S. has produced more natural gas than another other country in the world (namely Russia, who is #2). And get this: for two years running the U.S. has produced more oil than any other country in the world, including Saudi Arabia. When was the last time you heard that on the evening news? Yeah, NEVER. Fracking is nothing short of a miracle that has radically changed the energy outlook of this country–and it’s a miracle that should be celebrated every chance we get. Here’s the numbers and story from the EIA with news that once again, USA is #1!!!…
Read More “USA is #1 Natgas and #1 Oil Producer in the World in 2014”