The United States, Canada, China, and Argentina are the only four countries producing commercial volumes of either natural gas from shale formations or crude oil from tight formations as the听U.S. is the dominant producer of听both,听U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA,听announced.听
"Canada is the only other country to produce both shale gas and tight oil while U.S.听is by far the dominant producer of both," EIA stated.听
Shifting into an exporter status since its shale revolution in 2008, America enjoys its domestic production and decreasing independence on imports.听
Since so听called shale revolution, the U.S. enjoys the benefits of domestic oil and gas production which lowered its听dependency on oil听imports as its oil production levels reached 9 million barrels per day in 2014.听
China is producing only shale gas, Argentina is producing only tight oil; however, Australia and Russia have used听hydraulic fracturing techniques, the amount produced did not听come from low-permeability shale formations, the administration revealed.听
All of the four countries increased their听production听volumes听of shale gas and tight oil in 2014 and听natural gas.听
Also the total听crude oil production of the four countries听from shale and tight formations grew at a faster rate last year than production from non-shale and non-tight formations, the data showed.听
"In U.S., a large portion of shale gas production growth has occurred in the听Appalachian Basin's Marcellus Shale while a听large portion of tight oil production has come from听Western Gulf Basin's Eagle Ford听and from the听Williston Basin's Bakken Shale," according to EIA.听
In the听Marcellus Region, dry natural gas production increased to 408 million cubic meters per day whereas it was 134 million cubic meters in 2011.听听In the听Bakken Region, oil production in 2014 averaged 1.1 million barrels per day, which rises听more than 2.5 times than the 2011 average of 0.4 million barrels per day.听
Canada's tight oil production incresed from听0.2 million barrels per day听to 0.4 million barrels per day from 2011 to 2014 most of which was produced from听Alberta and Saskatchewan, EIA stated. Shale gas production increased from around 500,000 cubic meters per day in 2011 to 1 million cubis meters as of May 2014.
"In China, Sinopec and PetroChina have reported commercial production of shale gas from fields in the Sichuan Basin," the report said.听The听combined shale gas output听reached around 4,000 cubic meters which corresponds to 1,5 percent of the country's natural gas production. 听
"In Argentina, tight oil production comes mainly from Vaca Muerta鈥檚 Neuquen Basin. National oil company YPF, partnering with Chevron, is producing about 20,000 barrels of tight oil per day from the Loma Campana area," the U.S. agency听said.听
EIA also stated that notable exploration studies are ongoing in Algeria, Australia, Colombia, Mexico, and Russia. Commercial shale development requires the听ability to rapidly drill and complete a large number of wells in a single productive geologic formation, EIA added.听
By Nuran Erkul
Anadolu Agency
nuran.erkul@aa.com.tr
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