Haynesville shale formation sees boost in natural gas production

The Haynesville shale formation, located in northeastern Texas and Louisiana, had its highest production of natural gas in June since September 2012, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The Haynesville region averaged 6.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), accounting for 8.5 percent of total U.S. dry natural gas production. Natural gas production in the Haynesville formation peaked at 7.4 Bcf/d in January 2012.

The Haynesville formation was the third-largest producer of shale gas in 2017 after the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio and the Permian region in Texas and New Mexico.

After the January 2012 peak, production had fallen off from the Haynesville region from 2013 through 2016. The higher relative cost to produce natural gas in the region played a significant role in the production decrease. The reason for the higher costs is related to the depth of drilling required there. The Haynesville formation lies 10,500 feet to 13,500 feet underground, much deeper than other areas.

However, higher well productivity has contributed to the increase in production in recent years. The initial productivity rate in the Haynesville region, calculated as the cumulative production per well, has almost doubled from 2010 to 2017. Specifically, it increased from 589 million cubic feet (MMcf) per well to 1,176 MMcf/well. Those productivity gains are expected to continue as producers look to optimize natural gas recovery in Haynesville, EIA reported.