Potential Gas Committee report says 2,817 trillion cubic feet of natural gas yet to be discovered

The Potential Gas Committee (PGC), in conjunction with the American Gas Association (AGA), recently released its year-end 2016 biennial report, which found that the United States possesses a technically recoverable natural gas resource base of approximately 2,817 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) yet to be discovered.

The figure represents the highest resource evaluation in the committee’s history and is a 12 percent increase from the previous assessment high reported in 2014.

Additionally, the PGC’s mean total assessed shale gas resource of 1,797 Tcf in 2016 is approximately 64 percent of the total potential resources for the U.S.

“With U.S. proved reserves of more than 300 Tcf, the future supply of natural gas exceeds 3,100 Tcf and continues to increase,” Chris McGill, AGA’s VP of Energy Analysis and Standards, said. “With this abundant resource as a foundation, our nation will continue to be a recognized leader in clean energy and can rely on domestic natural gas for our energy needs for decades to come.”

AGA said in a release that natural gas supplies are expected to support an increase in demand across all sectors for at least the next decade while the record gas resources assessed by PGC, combination with strong production levels and booked reserves, paints a picture of strong supply for decades to come.