As oil and gas production from conventional sources continues to decline, companies are concentrating on unconventional sources such as shale formations. Over the past few years, advancements in drilling technologies have opened up huge shale gas reserves in the U.S., accounting for approximately 20 percent of total U.S. natural gas supplies in 2010, and expected to increase to 45 percent by 2035. In fact, most energy analysts agree that shale gas has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry in decades to come with rising domestic shale gas production having a profound impact on the global energy sector.
Shale gas outlook – A U.S. perspective identifies and explores the biggest challenges and opportunities for the industry, from environmental hurdles and additional regulations to operational and production costs within the current environment and abundant availability of “cheap gas”.