CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The amount of recoverable natural gas in the Utica Shale significantly exceeds previous estimates, according to a West Virginia University-led study released Tuesday.
The two-year geological study was conducted by the Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Research Consortium, a program within WVU’s National Research Center for Coal and Energy.
The study found that the Utica Shale contains 782 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas and an additional 1,960 million barrels of oil.
By comparison, a 2012 study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the formation contains only 38 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, along with 940 million barrels of oil.
The numbers released Tuesday are also higher than previous estimates from the consortium…
