Drilling Deeper: A Reality Check On U.S. Government Forecasts For A Lasting Tight Oil & Shale Gas Boom

This report reviews the twelve shale plays that account for 82% of the tight oil production and 88% of the shale gas production in the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) reference case forecasts through 2040. It utilizes all available production data for the plays analyzed, and assesses historical production, well- and field-decline rates, available drilling locations, and well-quality trends for each play, as well as counties within plays. Projections of future production rates are then made based on forecast drilling rates (and, by implication, capital expenditures). Tight oil (shale oil) and shale gas production is found to be unsustainable in the medium- and longer-term at the rates forecast by the EIA, which are extremely optimistic.

• | Author: J. David Hughes
• | Publisher: Post Carbon Institute
• | Publication Date: Oct 23, 2014
• | Number of Pages: 314 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0989599523
• | ISBN-13: 9780989599528