Natural gas production continues to rise, but instead of pipeline capacity growing to meet it, a recent analysis found that greater pipeline capacity has actually boosted production. According to Argus Media:
“The new pipeline capacity ushered in record production for Appalachia, with levels topping 26 Bcf/d in the final days of November, according to BTU Analytics.
The Appalachian shale region produced 25.6 Bcf/d in November, up by 14pc on the year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The agency estimates that output there is will rise to as high as 26.4 Bcf/d this month.”
This comes as the projects slated to come online in the first quarter of 2018 are expected to “provide more takeaway capacity than what six smaller projects brought to the region in the fourth quarter of 2017,” further increasing our ability to use a natural resource that is both abundant, and better for the environment than other energy sources.
One such project is ETP’s Rover Pipeline, which in total will have the capacity to transport 3.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day. The project has been coming into service in phases, with the first segment coming online early in the fall of 2017. Now,
“the final tranche of 1.55 Bcf/d expected to begin flowing by the end of March. The 713-mile (1,147km) pipeline will transport Appalachian shale gas to pipeline interconnects in West Virginia, markets in Ohio and Michigan, and to the Dawn storage hub in Ontario, Canada.”
Expanding our pipeline infrastructure is the best way to further utilize the natural resources that we have right beneath our feet, helping local communities grow and prosper while at the same time promoting energy independence. CEPI is glad to see this important part of our infrastructure grow so significantly early in 2018, and we’re excited to see what the rest of the year has in store.