Shale Gas News – January 30, 2021

Bill desRosiers
External Affairs Coordinator, Cabot Oil & Gas

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The Shale Gas News, heard every Saturday at 10 AM on 94.3 FM, 1510 AM, 1600 AM, 104.1 FM and Sundays on YesFM, talked about electric fracking, Biden frack ban, Shell Cracker and much more last week.

The Shale Gas News has grown again to the Williamsport area on stations WEJS 1600 AM & 104.1 FM. The Shale Gas News is now broadcasting in Bradford, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wayne Counties, as well as in greater central PA and now the Williamsport area. The Shale Gas News is aired on Saturday or Sunday depending on the station.

Every Saturday Rusty Fender, Matt Henderson and I host a morning radio show to discuss all things natural gas. This week, as guests, we had Stephanie Catarino Wissman, Executive Director, API-PA and Tom Murphy, Director of MCOR.

The Shale Gas News, typically, is broadcast live. On the January 30th show (click above), we covered the following new territory (see news excerpts below):

• John Kerry To Gas And Coal Workers: Make ‘Better Choices’ Because Your Jobs Are Going Away. President Joe Biden’s climate ambassador John Kerry says oil and gas workers who lost their jobs due to the new administration’s restrictions on their industry should start building solar panels instead. When asked in Tuesday’s press conference what he would say to the people whose livelihoods are ruined due to Biden’s frenzied anti-fossil fuels orders, including halting leasing on federal land to use for oil and gas and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, Kerry simply said those workers who were struggling need to make “better choices” for newer, greener jobs.
• Discovery of New Catalyst Helps Natural Gas Burn Even Cleaner.  Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have developed a cutting edge catalyst made up of 10 different elements–each of which on its own has the ability to reduce the combustion temperature of methane–plus oxygen. This unique catalyst brings the combustion temperature of methane down by about half, from above 1400 degrees Kelvin down to 600 to 700 degrees Kelvin. What it means is that natural gas can burn cleaner and emit far less carbon dioxide.
• Innovative Clinton County, PA Petchem Plant Gets More Investors. The KeyState Zero petrochemical plant project that includes natural gas synthesis and carbon storage (coming to Clinton County, PA) just gets more fascinating every time we read or hear about it. We spotted a new article with more details about the project, like the fact LNG is already being produced at the site. In addition to carbon capture, the new petchem plant will produce four products…
• US Well Locks in Long-Term E-Fracking Contracts with Range, EQT. In a pair of announcements earlier this week, U.S. Well Services announced it has signed new long-term deals with both Range Resources and EQT to supply “electric fracking” services. We told you in February 2020 that Range had signed on with U.S. Well Services to continue using its electric fracking service. A couple of months later EQT signed up with U.S. Well too. What’s the difference between traditional fracking and electric or e-fracking?
• DOE Report: Biden Frack Ban Will Destroy the Economy. Last week the Trump Dept. of Energy (DOE) released a new report titled “Economic and National Security Impacts under a Hydraulic Fracturing Ban.” The report shows that a ban on hydraulic fracturing would spike greenhouse gas emissions, boost coal generation, and reverse America’s energy exporter status. A full-on fracking ban would result in 7.7 million jobs lost across the country and the overall U.S. economy would take a significant hit just as the pandemic recovery is underway. Devastating.
• Shell Cracker Construction “in the Home Stretch” – Ready in 2022. It’s been a long road, but we’re nearing the end. Shell’s $6 billion ethane cracker plant, officially called the Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex (PPC), is close to being done. It’s likely the PPC, located in Beaver County, PA, will be up and running sometime next year. When it is, the market for Marcellus/Utica NGLs will profoundly change. PPC will use an average of 85,000 barrels per day of M-U ethane. Our ethane will no longer be a waste product that many drillers pay to get rid of, but rather a profitable product they sell.

The Shale Gas News sponsored by Linde Corporation