Another large reserve of natural gas discovered off Gulf Coast

By EPN Staff

The U.S. Geological Survey says there’s a newly discovered and “substantial” cache of natural gas in rock formations that lie largely beneath Louisiana.

The USGS estimates it found 35.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of technically recoverable natural gas – roughly what the United States consumes in 14 months – and 28 million barrels of oil.

The gas sits in the Hosston and Travis Peak Formations, concentrated largely in a sliver of southeast Texas, across central Louisiana and into Louisiana state waters, the USGS said.

Why it matters

The find represents a fraction of the nation's energy production, but the head of the USGS called it a “substantial resource.” It also adds to the nation’s growing inventory of natural gas reserves, which have continued to increase even as demand and consumption grow, too.

The discovery was part of the USGS's ongoing research, both in and outside of the United States, to find new resources and provide information to policymakers, as well as drilling companies.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of January 1, 2021, the United States had approximately 2,973 Tcf of technically recoverable dry natural gas.

This new assessment adds about 1.2%.

“Technically recoverable” refers to oil or gas that can be produced using currently available technology and industry practices. It doesn’t account for economic conditions – meaning the oil and gas could be too expensive to drill for, something that changes with market conditions.

The bigger picture

Two decades ago estimates of technically recoverable resources were significantly lower, in part because drilling technology has advanced substantially.

This produced a shale gas boom in the first decade of this century that took "dry shale gas production in the United States from 1 Tcf in 2006 to 4.8 Tcf by 2010, according to the EIA. The numbers have grown from there and the United States now produces some 38 Tcf a year in shale gas alone.

This latest find is largely “tight gas,” meaning it’s trapped in low permeability rock, and would require drilling 8,000–10,000 feet from the surface, the USGS said.

Additional details

It remains to be seen when, or if, this find is drilled, but the Gulf Coast has well-established energy infrastructure.

Louisiana already ranked third in the nation in marketed natural gas production and seventh in proved natural gas reserves, according to the EIA.