Global Unconventional Natural Gas References

GTI Global Gas Shales and Unconventional Gas/June 2010
In a world demanding secure, aboundant, and affordable energy that combats climate change, natural gas from unconventional sources has a vital role to play. As declared by President Obama recently in China: "The potential for natural gas production in the U.S. from hydrocarbon-rich shale formations, known as "shale gas," has grown dramatically in recent years due to technological advances. The development of shale gas is expected to significantly increase U.S. energy security and help reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The United Staes is not alone in having significant shale gas resources." (White House 2009) The team at the Gas Technology Institiute (GTI) agrees fully with President Obama and is absolutely committed to helping bring the technologies and capabilities developed and successfully deployed in the U.S. to the rest of the world.

A Primer for Understanding Canadian Gas Shales/November 2009 
In a relatively new development over just the past few years, shale formations are being targeted for natural gas production. Based on initial results, there may be significant potential for shale gas production in various regions of Canada, including traditional areas of conventional production like Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, and non-traditional areas like Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. However, there is much uncertainty because most Canadian shale gas production is currently in experimental or early developmental stages. Thus, its full potential will not be known for some time. If exploitation proves to be successful, Canadian shale gas may partially offset projected long-term declines in Canadian conventional natural gas production.

This emerging resource can be considered a technology driven play as achieving gas production out of otherwise unproductive rock requires technology-intensive processes. Maximizing gas recoveries requires far more wells than would be the case in conventional natural gas operations. Furthermore, horizontal wells with horizontal legs up to two kilometres in length are widely used to access the reservoir to the greatest extent possible. Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, where the shale is cracked under high pressures at several places along the horizontal section of the well, is used to create conduits through which gas can flow. Micro-seismic imaging allows operators to visualize where this fracture growth is occurring in the reservoir. However, as a technology driven play, the rate of development of shale gas may become limited by the availability of required resources, such as fresh water, fracture proppant, or drilling rigs capable of drilling wells several kilometres in length.

There are some environmental concerns with the specialized techniques used to exploit shale gas. There is potential for a heavy draw on freshwater resources because of the large quantities required for hydraulic fracturing fluid. The land-use footprint of shale gas development is not expected to be much more than the footprint of conventional operations, despite higher well densities, because advances in horizontal drilling technology allow for up to ten or more wells to be drilled and produced from the same wellsite. Finally, there is potential for a high carbon footprint through emissions of carbon dioxide.