US shale gas dynamics

摘要

Ignore the moans and groans about low prices, most independent US oil and natural gas producers made money on gas production in the third quarter. One segment of the US exploration and production industry -about six companies - are making more than 15% internal rates of return in US shale plays. It is these six that are responsible for the bulk of new gas supplies. The Natural Gas Supply Association's list of top US gas providers shows that 25 of the 40 companies on the list accounted for 36% of all US output, 25.18 Bcf/d, and on average made 56-cents/Mcf for their gas production. On average, the 25 producers realized $3.66/Mcf for gas in the third quarter, slightly better than the $3.50/ Mcf average of the Henry hub gas futures contract.