We can thank the Appalachia Region shale gas, mostly Marcellus and Utica, for the rapid increase in natural gas production we have seen in United States.

As the technology for hydraulic fracturing evolves and perfects, natural gas production increases. This is exactly what we are seeing now in in the Appalachia region. As a result, natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica regions have increased tremendously since 2012, up by more than 14 billion cubic feet per day. Drilling a natural gas well can be completed in a week with longer lateral lengths. Where in just a few short years ago it would take a month and the lateral lengths were much shorter.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has posted an excellent report which explains the increased production and efficiency in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Shale gas production in the Appalachia region has increased rapidly since 2012, driving an overall increase in U.S. natural gas production. According to EIA’s  Drilling Productivity Report, natural gas production in the Appalachia region—namely the Marcellus and Utica shale plays—has increased by more than 14 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) since 2012. Overall Appalachian natural gas production grew from 7.8 Bcf/d in 2012 to 22.1 Bcf/d in 2016 and was 23.8 Bcf/d in 2017, based on  EIA data through October 2017.

Read more:

http://naturalgasnow.org/appalachia-region-shale-gas-is-key-to-domestic-production/