Marcellus Shale Drilling for Natural Gas: A Promising New Source of Energy
I grew up in Mansfield, Pa. and never could have dreamed that my hometown area would become a hot spot for energy production. The natural gas now discovered in the black shale around the Appalachian Basin has the potential to generate over $1 trillion dollars of clean natural gas production. In light of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it is reassuring to see our country seek clean sources of energy for its future.
A few years ago every geologist involved in Appalachian Basin oil and gas knew about the Devonian black shale called the Marcellus. Its black color made it easy to spot in the field and its slightly radioactive signature made it a very easy pick on a geophysical well log. However, very few of these geologists were excited about the Marcellus Shale as a major source of natural gas. Wells drilled through it produced some gas but rarely in enormous quantity. Few if any in the natural gas industry suspected that the Marcellus might soon be a major contributor to the natural gas supply of the United States – large enough to be spoken of as a “super giant” gas field.
The Marcellus Shale, also referred to as the Marcellus Formation, is a Middle Devonian-age black, low density, carbonaceous (organic rich) shale that occurs in the subsurface beneath much of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. Small areas of Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia are also underlain by the Marcellus Shale.
A local utility company may have started the Marcellus Shale gas play. In 2003 they drilled a Marcellus well in Washington County, Pennsylvania and found a promising flow of natural gas. They experimented with drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods that worked in the Barnett Shale of Texas. Their first Marcellus gas production from the well began in 2005. Between then and the end of 2007 more than 375 gas wells with suspected Marcellus intent had been permitted in Pennsylvania.
I am proud that our subsidiary, Safety and Ecology, is playing a role in this exploration. Because of its radioactive signature, it has been necessary to provide remediation services to the exploration companies to insure the safe handling and disposition of any radioactive waste streams. Naturally occurring radioactive material is encountered in all drilling activities and Marcellus Shale drilling is no different. The minerals commonly found in the process or flowback water used in the drills includes barium, magnesium, calcium and radium. Radium is naturally radioactive and when found in activity concentrations above a few pico-Curies per liter of water require appropriate treatment prior to discharge. SEC is actively involved in this remediation effort.
With estimates that the Marcellus might contain more than 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas drilling has become a business boom in Pennsylvania. Using some of the same horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods that had previously been applied in the Barnett Shale of Texas, perhaps 10% of that gas (50 trillion cubic feet) might be recoverable. That volume of natural gas would be enough to supply the entire United States for about two years.
Several companies are actively drilling or leasing Marcellus Shale properties. Range Resources, North Coast Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Chief Oil & Gas, East Resources, Fortuna Energy, Equitable Production Company, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, Southwestern Energy Production Company, and Atlas Energy Resources are some of the companies involved. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says that drilling permits are up strongly since 2005 and much of the activity increase can be attributed to wells targeting the Marcellus shale. Some of the new wells appear capable of yielding millions of cubic feet per day and that has companies working hard to acquire leases on desirable properties and complete new wells.
In light of BP’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf, public scrutiny of all new drilling projects has naturally increased. Concerns about water pollution, loss of forests and animal habitats, damage to roads, and the need for treatment plants to deal with the water used in the drilling are some of the issues that come with a growing industry. We need to learn the lesson that good planning and proper safety measures can avoid problems before they happen especially concerning public health, safety and environmental concerns. We need to find alternatives to offshore drilling and Marcellus Shale may be a good option for accessing natural gas and providing badly needed jobs to people in my home state. Let’s show that we understand and are prepared for potential hazards and are capable and committed to doing what is required to insure safety and environmental responsibility.