By Peter C. Glover ——Bio and Archives--April 12, 2011
Global Warming-Energy-Environment | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
Although the shale gas resource estimates will likely change over time as additional information becomes available, the report shows that the international shale gas resource base is vast. The initial estimate of technically recoverable shale gas resources in the 32 countries examined is 5,760 trillion cubic feet ... Adding the U.S. estimate of the shale gas technically recoverable resources of 862 trillion cubic feet results in a total shale resource base estimate of 6,622 trillion cubic feet for the United States and the other 32 countries assessed. To put this shale gas resource estimate in some perspective, world proven reserves of natural gas as of January 1, 2010 are about 6,609 trillion cubic feet, and world technically recoverable gas resources are roughly 16,000 trillion cubic feet, largely excluding shale gas. Thus, adding the identified shale gas resources to other gas resources increases total world technically recoverable gas resources by over 40 percent to 22,600 trillion cubic feet.In 'Shale Gas's Wow! Moment' on his excellent shale gas commentary site No Hot Air, Nick Grealy rightly enthuses: "Basically adding shale adds 40 per cent to world gas resources, not far off the US Potential Gas Committee report of 2009 figures for US shale resources. Which now seem conservative, but who is going to quibble?" Well possibly, the energy doom-and-gloom mongers of peak alarmism -- all set to lose lucrative new book deals, I guess. Make no bones about it, the shale gas and oil phenomenon is changing the parameters of the global energy debate, as the EIA map below makes plain enough. And remember, these are 'recoverable resources'. Source to 'EIA, 2011' But even the EIA report itself presents what is widely known to be a conservative estimate there are still a number of potentially big players missing. If map 1 above alone changes the energy resource then if we are able to include the some other shale big hitters, including Russia, India and particularly China, then the need to rip up oft-quoted figures becomes imperative. Try this: Source it to 'No Hot Air, 2011'. See what I mean about becoming more realistic and factoring in potentially 'stratospheric' new energy figures?
View Comments
Peter C. Glover is an English writer & freelance journalist specializing in political, media and energy analysis (and is currently European Associate Editor for the US magazine Energy Tribune. He has been published extensively and is also the author of a number of books including The Politics of Faith: Essays on the Morality of Key Current Affairs which set out the moral case for the invasion of Iraq and a Judeo-Christian defence of the death penalty.