The expansion of US oil drilling in tight rock formations made possible by fracking has led to a surge in production of natural gas as a byproduct of oil extraction, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2019) The expansion of US oil drilling in tight rock formations made possible by fracking has led to a surge in production of natural gas as a byproduct of oil extraction, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Monday.The report cited five US regions that are largely responsible for the nation's emergence as the world's leading oil producer - Permian, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Niobrara and Anadarko - where fracking has allowed extraction of oil that was previously inaccessible due to shale rock formations.
"In 2018, associated-dissolved natural gas production in these five major crude oil-producing regions was 12.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), or about 37 percent of total natural gas production in these regions and about 12 percent of total US natural gas production," the report said.
Fracking is a process in which pressurized water and chemicals are used to break up rocks that impede the flow of oil, often reviving oil wells previously shuttered due to low output and encouraging new drilling.
Record high crude oil production in the Permian region in the states of Texas and New Mexico has produced the most associated gas of the five regions, about 5.8 Bcf/d in 2018, according to the report.
