Successes of the Barnett Shale

Drillers throughout the U.S. are searching for unconventional natural gas deposits in areas like the Barnett Shale of North Texas.  It is expected that similar searches will become pervasive worldwide in the near future. 

Vello Kuuskraa, president of Advanced Resources International and known for his work in energy economics and petroleum recovery technologies, commented at a recent energy conference in Fort Worth that he believes “unconventional gas is the future, both in the U.S. and overseas.”  Unconventional gas includes shale gas, tight gas and coal-bed methane.  Such deposits require measures such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to enhance their recovery and make then economically feasible.

Kuuskraa expects his end-of-the-year calculations to show that the Barnett Shale has become the biggest gas-producing area in the U.S., outpacing the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado.  Further, Kuuskraa said that future unconventional gas recovery worldwide could significantly expand supplies helping make gas increasingly attractive as a fuel for transportation and electric power generation.