Posted in accidents, energy policy, natural gas, pipelines, tagged German trial, natural gas, Nord Stream sabotage, pipeline, Ukraine on October 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »
There have been many BOE posts about the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, but most of our 2023 summary still stands.
Yesterday, the trial of a Ukrainian officer began in a Hamburg courtroom. See the X post and video below.
The big issue, of course, is the extent of Ukrainian govt involvement in the sabotage.
Posted in energy policy, natural gas, tagged Alex Epstein, dispatchable power, intermittent energy, JL Daeschler, Jon Yeomans, natural gas, Winter Storm Fern on October 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This interesting Sunday Times (UK) piece was shared by JL Daeschler. A key point in the quote below is that you can’t neglect the gas (dispatchable energy) network when you increase the contribution of intermittent renewables.
When wind and solar generation are low, the nation switches on the gas — and in a big way. Take January 5 this year, when gas-fired generation jumped from 2.3GW to 26.1GW in the space of a day — enough to power 19 million homes. The upshot is that “less gas use doesn’t mean less gas network,” as one industry source puts it.
As Alex Epstein has frequently asserted “solar and wind aren’t real power sources, they’re intermittent fuel-savers.”
Winter Storm Fern (1/23-31/2026) affected much of the US stretching from the Southern Plains and the Gulf Coast through the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. Power demand surged, and solar and wind power generation were minimal. (Alex Epstein charts below)
Posted in natural gas, Offshore Energy - General, energy policy, tagged Gulf of America, Marcellus, minnow, natural gas, production, production by state on September 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
2025 Gulf of America gas production as compared to:
Gas production in OK, OH, CO, ND, and WY also exceeded Gulf production.
NY gas production would also be far > than Gulf production, if companies were allowed to access natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.
Total US gas withdrawals have doubled from 30 years ago when the Gulf accounted for >20% of the US total. Gulf production declined by 87% in that timeframe.
Posted in flaring and venting, natural gas, tagged air quality, flaring, Iran, LNG, natural gas, Russia, shale gas, US production on July 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Quotes and graphics from S&P Global:
“Profound growth of LNG is exceeding all expectations,” said Daniel Yergin. “Economic gains in terms of jobs, GDP and labor income are on track to surpass all prior expectations, while the abundance of U.S. gas means that domestic prices remain among the lowest in the world.”
“More than 45 years of identified commercial gas resource in the United States at today’s production levels and the world’s most interconnected pipeline network are what enable both exports and low domestic prices,” said Eric Eyberg, Vice President, Gas and LNG, S&P Global Energy. “Since 2010, domestic prices have trended downward even as demand for U.S. gas has grown 70 percent. The recent Iran conflict has proven the U.S. domestic gas market resilient to external shocks relative to global gas and other commodities. U.S. Henry Hub gas prices declined during the conflict.”
More than 50 years ago as a graduate student, I wrote a paper entitled “The Use of Natural Gas in Improving Air Quality.” My professor, Dr. Richard Gordon, a brilliant economist who greatly influenced my thinking about energy, liked the paper (grade of 93), but thought I was too optimistic about the availability of natural gas (the title page and his comment are captured below). The sense at the time was that natural gas was a premium energy source in short supply, but technical innovation unlocked massive shale gas resources and justified my optimism.
BOE has been celebrating the natural gas revolution since the blog began in 2010. Methane (CH4) is essentially a hydrogen transporter that emits far less CO2 than other fossil fuels when burned. Natural gas’s other important air quality advantages – low NOx, SO2, and particulate emissions – have far greater significance from a human health standpoint. (Many in the US and Canada learned a lot about particulates last weekend!)
The environmental case for offshore natural gas is particularly strong. However, Gulf of America gas production has struggled to compete with the onshore shale sector. Total Gulf production fell to 757 bcf in 2025. 91% of that gas production was from oil wells, primarily high rate deepwater wells.
Sobering resource conservation and emissions fact: The top two 2025 flarers, Russia and Iran, each flared 300 bcf more than the entire 2025 gas production in the Gulf of America. On top of that, keep in mind that the World Bank flaring estimates are probably low.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged buybacks, California, Department of the Interior, geothermal, Invenergy, natural gas, New York, wind leases on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of the Interior announced a settlement agreement with affiliates of Invenergy, North America’s largest privately held developer, owner, and operator of independent power infrastructure, aimed at strengthening American security and lowering costs, advancing goals central to President Donald Trump’s Energy Dominance Agenda.
As part of the settlement agreement, Invenergy will voluntarily terminate its affiliates’ four offshore wind leases located in the New York Bight, Central Coast of California and the Gulf of Maine totaling $765 million, and redirect that amount towards other domestic energy sources with the demonstrated capability to deliver reliable, affordable power, including the development of natural gas-fired power plants in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri and geothermal power generation projects in the Western U.S.
Posted in energy policy, natural gas, tagged DOE, first exports, LNG, natural gas, revolution on February 25, 2026| 2 Comments »
In light of the Dept. of Energy’s announcement commemorating the 10th anniversary of the first export cargo of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), I’m linking a 16 year old BOE post asking why we weren’t celebrating the emerging natural gas bonanza. Keep in mind that 20 years ago we were planning for LNG import facilities in the Gulf!
Quote from DOE about the transformation of the US into the world’s leading LNG exporter:
“This transformation was made possible by the Shale Revolution, an era of breakthrough technologies including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that unlocked vast domestic oil and natural gas resources.”
The “Natural Gas Revolution” (Yergin) is an important part of our history that deserves national attention.
Posted in climate, energy policy, natural gas, Wind Energy, tagged $billions, dispatchable power, energy affordability, energy research, natural gas, New England, renewables on January 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Always On Energy Research report is attached. Conclusion:
“In other words, dispatchable generation saves New England hundreds of billions of dollars and avoids blackouts. In the end, the idea that New England can run its electric grid on wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries is a dangerous and unserious proposition.“
Posted in drilling, Gulf of Mexico, natural gas, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Blackbeard, Exxon, Freeport-McMoRan, Gulf of America, HPHT, lease sale, natural gas, Newfield, Treasure Island, ultra-deep gas on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Natural gas and LNG are fast becoming the gravitational center of the global energy system, but some energy experts said the world is only beginning to grasp the scale of what’s to come.” ~Natural Gas Intelligence
20 years ago Newfield, Exxon, and McMoRan drilled pioneering ultradeep wells targeting gas-prone reservoirs below salt welds in Miocene and older formations (diagrams below). The water depths were <100 feet but well depths exceeding 30,000 feet, and high temperatures and pressures, pushed the limits of drilling technology at the time. Noteworthy wells:
This program pioneered ultradeep drilling on the shelf, influencing later deepwater successes. Over the past 10 years, the deepwater industry has successfully demonstrated high pressure high temperature (HPHT) technology which could facilitate ultradeep exploration on the shelf.
Also, note that a company targeting hydrocarbons below 25,000 feet (true vertical depth subsurface) may earn an additional 3 years on their lease. (See the Notice for next week’s lease sale.) Will improved technology and demand expectations finally open the ultradeep gas frontier?
Posted in energy, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged ADNOC, Aramco, Chevron, Eastern Mediterranean, EGAS, Equinor, Gaza Marine, Gaza redevelopment, natural gas, Qatar Energy, Zohr Field on October 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
In light of the fantastic Middle East news, planning for the redevelopment of Gaza is underway. The Gaza Marine Gas Field should be a high priority given the power generation and revenue potential.
The field, which was discovered in 1999 by British Gas (now part of Shell), is located approximately 30-36 km off the coast of Gaza in the eastern Mediterranean and has estimated natural gas reserves of ~ 1 Tcf.
Who should be licensed to develop the field? In June 2023, there was a proposed agreement between the Palestinian Authority and an Egyptian consortium led by state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS). A resurrection of this arrangement may align with Palestinian interests. EGAS has experience in Mediterranean gas projects including the giant Zohr field (see map below).
Other candidates for developing the Gaza Marine field (pure speculation):
Some combination of the above companies might also be a possibility. In any event, it’s critical to manage this resource in a manner that best benefits the recovery effort.
Posted in climate, energy policy, natural gas, Offshore Energy - General, tagged associated gas, benefits of natural gas, energy scoreboard, energy source rankings, Heartland Institute, natural gas, nonassociated gas, offshore gas on April 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
All rankings are suspect, especially those I agree with 😉. The full scoreboard report is attached, so you can judge for yourself.
I was an early advocate for the use of natural gas in improving urban air quality. (I still have the ancient graduate school paper! 😀). This blog has repeatedly saluted natural gas and its compelling economic and environmental benefits.
Although combustion of natural gas emits 30% and 45% less CO2 than oil and coal respectively, the CO2 emissions are still significant. As a result, those who focus solely on greenhouse gases and ignore all other impacts (e.g. other air pollutants like NOx, SO2, and particulates, land use and space preemption, visual effects, and wildlife risks), want to limit the production and use of gas. However, whether or not fossil fuel consumption is significantly affecting the climate, the use for natural gas will be economically and environmentally imperative for the foreseeable future.
Not all natural gas production is equal from an environmental standpoint. Because this is an offshore energy blog, I draw your attention to the unique advantages of offshore gas production: minimal visual impact, bird friendly (rigs-to-roosts!), no risks to freshwater aquifers, and few land use issues.
Currently, most offshore gas production is in the form of oil-well gas (AKA associated or casing head gas). Offshore gas production is thus being primarily driven by oil demand, and is an added benefit from deepwater oil development.
Offshore gas-well or non-associated gas is largely the domain of independent operators producing in the shallower waters of the continental shelf. Non-associated gas has an added benefit in that there is little or no spill risk (depending on how dry the gas is). Shelf gas platforms also provide ecosystem benefits through their reef effect (rigs-to-reefs). Sustaining this non-associated gas production is therefore desirable from both energy and environmental standpoints.
