Nuclear Woes Could Propel Quest For Natural Gas
A natural gas boom is already underway in the 400-million-year-old Marcellus shale reserves beneath Pennsylvania. That boom is apparent on a hilltop about an hour from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where the farmland and forest give way to a brand new industrial site known as the Lathrop compressor station. It's a collection of pipes and compressors that help move natural gas from local wells to market.
"There are about 75 wells behind this particular station, and plans to double that over the next couple of years," says Michael Dickinson, a manager for Williams Companies Inc. The company operates two compressor stations in Pennsylvania, with plans to add three more. It's also building a new 30-mile stretch of pipeline to transport natural gas on to Philadelphia and New York City.
"Those pipelines are kind of like the railroads are to the coal industry, or the high line wires are to the electricity industry," Dickinson says. "We have to have those pipelines — that infrastructure — to get this gas to the place that it can be used."
Impact On The Marcellus Shale
The Marcellus shale, which runs from Kentucky to upstate New York, contains one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, although the gas has been difficult to extract until recently. Energy experts say the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan may accelerate development in Pennsylvania, as the U.S. and other countries will likely put the brakes on plans for additional nuclear power plants, at least in the short run.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/08/135149579/nuclear-woes-could-propel-quest-for-natural-gas?ft=1&f=1007
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