US Gas Production to Exceed 100 Bcf/d in 2022; M-U Hamstrung by MVP
In the most recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the EIA predicted that by the end of this year, the United States will produce an average of 96.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas (see EIA Cuts 2H22 LNG Export Prediction by 14%, HH Price by 44%). For comparison, the country produced 93.51 Bcf/d in 2021. Rystad Energy, an independent energy research and business intelligence company for the global energy industry based in Norway, is out with its own prediction of U.S. production. Rystad says the U.S. will break the 100 Bcf/d production milestone–a new all-time record–by the end of this year.
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The number crunchers at the U.S. Energy Information Administration once again overestimated natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica in the agency’s monthly Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). Last month the EIA predicted total production in the Marcellus/Utica region (which they call Appalachia in the report) would be 35.39 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) during July. In the monthly DPR issued yesterday, EIA revised the July number down to 35.12 Bcf/d. Not a huge difference. It translates to 270 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) less in production–roughly 1/4 Bcf/d.
Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues a monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). In May, the STEO made the startling prediction that the average Henry Hub price for natural gas (the national benchmark) would average $8.59 for the entire second half of this year (see 
In 2012, fossil fuels accounted for roughly 82% of total U.S. energy consumption. We have seen an incredibly aggressive pro-renewable push since then, with countries (including the U.S.) pledging to hit net-zero emissions by 2050 as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Not a day goes by without an article in Big Media about renewables like wind and solar taking over “any day now.” Fossil fuels are passe, the past, almost gone, on the way out, killing the planet, etc. etc. And yet, renewables ARE NOT taking over. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels accounted for 79% of total U.S. energy consumption in 2021–a drop of 3% in 10 years.
Wow, have the standards at Harvard University slipped! It used to be that Harvard was known for academic rigor–thoroughness and accuracy. Those days are long gone. Now Harvard is controlled by leftists who succumb to groupthink and political ideology instead of the scientific method. Case in point: Harvard recently published a study in Environmental Science & Technology that claims natural gas used for powering household stoves, furnaces, and water heaters “may contain” levels of “cancer-linked compounds” that are “toxic to residents when leaked.” In other words, the left has embarked on a mission to convince you that using natural gas will give you cancer. HORSE MANURE!
Using data from several government agencies, the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, Inc. (GO-WV) published its annual Gas Facts report earlier this week. Natural gas production in WV increased 6% to approximately 2.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2021. The increase in production helped drive a 10% increase in state severance and local property taxes collected.
There’s no way for the Bidenistas to put lipstick on this pig–but they tried anyway. The Biden administration’s Dept. of Energy published its annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) yesterday. The report shows HUGE fossil fuel industry job losses in 2021. The report finds the fuels technology sector experienced job losses totaling 29,271 jobs in 2021, down 3.1% from 2020, with the majority of losses coming from the fossil fuel industry.
Each quarter the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas conducts an energy survey of exploration and production (E&P) and oilfield services (OFS) firms across the Federal Reserve’s three-state Eleventh District, including Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. The latest survey, for 2Q22, included 85 E&P firms and 52 OFS companies. Respondents said they expect a Henry Hub natural gas price of $7.55/MMBtu and a West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price of $108/bbl by the end of 2022. The wisdom of this particular crowd is probably about as reliable a prediction as you can get with respect to O&G prices.
According to S&P Global’s Platts Analytics service, U.S. natural gas production in June increased slightly to an average 94.5 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day), up nearly 1.9 Bcf/d (roughly 2%) compared with a first-quarter average at 92.6 Bcf/d. The increase was led by more output in the Haynesville which has grown by 600 MMcf/d (million cubic feet per day) since March, and in the Marcellus/Utica, which has grown by 420 MMcf/d since March.
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Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues a monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Last month, in May, the STEO made the startling prediction that the average Henry Hub price for natural gas (the national benchmark) would hit $8.13 for 3Q22 and $8.59 for the entire second half of this year (see 
A group of international scientists has discovered a fourth type of natural gas. Wait, there are different “types” of natgas? Yes, at least different types of origins for natural gas. To date, three main sources of natural gas had been identified–microbial, thermogenic, and abiotic. Scientists have discovered a fourth type or origin for natural gas–natgas generated by radiolysis, which is the dissociation of molecules by ionizing radiation of the organic matter in shale rock. Yeah, it’s science and it’s complicated. Let us bottom line this for you right here: The presence of natural gas with a “thermogenic” signature (i.e. fingerprint), which indicates gas coming from a drilled shale well, has been blamed for contaminating water supplies in places like Dimock, PA. It’s quite possible thermogenic gas has been misidentified as radiolysis gas, and that leaky wells are not the cause of gas in water.
Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering are developing a new way to reduce the environmental impact of drilling and fracking by cleaning produced water for reuse. Produced water is the water that comes out of the hole long after drilling and fracking is done. It is “water from the depths”–far below the water table–and it’s full of minerals, which is why it’s often called brine (or salt). Pitt engineers have researched membrane distillation (MD) to treat this salty wastewater. Pitt has discovered how to use MD to economically recycle and reuse produced water from shale.
On May 24, Cleveland State University researchers quietly published the “Shale Investment Dashboard in Ohio Q1 and Q2 2021” (full copy below). The new report details shale-related investment in Ohio, looking at upstream, midstream, and downstream activities. The investment estimates are from January through June of 2021–the first half of last year. The report shows investment in the Ohio Utica continued to increase last year, during the height of the pandemic. It also shows just two companies drilled 73% of Ohio’s new shale wells and 69% of the money invested in drilling new shale wells in the Buckeye State in 1H21. Which two companies?