Reshaping the global energy landscape

The U.S is home to the largest known shale gas reserves in the world, reports have found. These reserves are going to come in handy as the country makes its transition from coal to renewable sources like wind, solar, and natural gas, in the coming years. Over the last couple of years, the U.S. has been experiencing an energy boom, thanks to hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling, commonly known as fracking. This cutting-edge technology is responsible for surging the country's oil and natural gas production.

The U.S. has vast reserves of natural gas that have become commercially viable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, enabling greater access to gas in shale formations. According to reports, the U.S has approximately 300,000 fracking wells, which churn out 4.3 million barrels per day.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in the U.S., fracking today accounts for more than half of all the country's oil output. The fracking revolution has generated a wave of production in major shale fields across the country in states such as Texas, Pennsylvania, among others.

Shale oil has been around for 60 years, but the technology to extract it has improved greatly in recent years. Fracking allows access to natural deposits of gas and enables drilling thousands of feet into the ground to get access to gas stored deep within the stones and a single surface site can accommodate a number of wells.

The EIA estimates that the total U.S. gas production from 2012 to 2040 will increase 56 per cent, with natural gas from shale being the leading contributor. The shale gas share of total U.S. production will increase from 40 per cent in 2012 to 53 per cent in 2040, EIA projects.

The process involves shooting a mixture of mostly water and sand under high pressure against a rock formation until it fractures. The sand then fills the fracture, forcing the crude oil out of the rock formation. This mixture of water, sand and additives is pumped at high pressure to create micro-fractures in the rock that are held open by the grains of sand. Additives help in reducing friction and preventing corrosion.

This revolutionary method involves safely tapping shale and other tight-rock formations by drilling below the surface before turning horizontal and continuing several thousand feet more.

These advancements have enabled the extraction of large, previously inaccessible reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The benefits have been felt on many levels, and have resulted in lower energy prices, rise in jobs, and increase in manufacturing. It has also displaced coal as a primary producer of electricity, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

An important characteristic of fracking is how speedy the entire process is and reportedly shale wells can be quickly drilled and start pumping oil immediately. The method may have come under fire and has also been criticised for causing harm to environment such as public health concerns, water contamination and earthquakes, but it is important to keep in mind that fossil fuels are a non-renewable source of energy and we are not prepared for depletion. This surplus gas, therefore, buys us more time to research for effective ways to power our cars, heat our homes and cook food.

Today, the reason the U.S is witnessing an energy revolution is because of fracking. It is allowing the country to tap into vast oil and natural gas reserves that previously were locked away.

Source: Khaleej Times