Shale Coverage

The Haynesville Shale







  



	A new frontier in natural gas production


	
	
by Lori K. Ditoro


	

	



	

	

	The Haynesville Shale, featured in a 60 Minutes report and in a two-hour documentary (Haynesville) in 2010, has become the newest “it” area for natural gas production. According to the 60 Minutes report, the Haynesville play could have four times as much natural gas as Saudi Arabia beneath the ground. [Pull quote if needed.] It is ranked as the fourth largest natural gas shale in the world and the top gas shale in the U.S.




	Drilling site in the Haynesville Shale




	Drilling site in the Haynesville ShaleToday, the Haynesville’s natural gas is being brought to the surface by companies such as Chesapeake Oil and Gas, Encarta and Petrohawk, and it is being produced using technology and methods that were unavailable 10 years ago. Spanning across 3 million acres  from west Louisiana into east Texas and southwest Arkansas, the Haynesville Shale, barely on the oil and gas map a few years ago, is the new frontier for natural gas.




	 




	Haynesville’s History




	

	Geologists have known about the Haynesville formation (also known as the Shreveport Shale or the Bossier Shale) for a long time, but the low price of natural gas and the cost of drilling made it economically undesirable to drill, until recently.  The formation was deposited about 150 million years ago. It is a deep formation that is about 200 feet thick.




	Drilling began in 2006, but major activity began in 2007. The majority of the activity centers around the “sweet spot” of four parishes: Caddo, Red River, DeSoto and Bossier.1




	The first two companies to begin drilling in earnest in the area were Petrohawk and Goodrich Petroleum. Later, Chesapeake Energy (one of the largest operators in the area) began drilling. At the time of publication, more than 20 companies are actively involved in the area. In 2010, drilling and production increased as natural gas prices rose.




	 




	The Technology




	

	Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are widely used in the Haynesville area. In the past, horizontal drilling did not make economic sense. Years ago, drilling a horizontal well could take up to 90 days. Today, it can be done in 30 to 45 days.2 



	
	







			
	

  


  

    

          
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