Marcellus pipeline woes threaten to change entire US gas market game
Permitting issues have radically curtailed the access to cheaply produced gas to which the industry has grown accustomed
That the Marcellus shale and the wider Appalachian gas basin have a pipeline offtake problem is hardly news. But the implications of the US cutting itself off from gas resource that can be cheaply produced may still be being underestimated. Research firm Enverus forecasts Appalachian gas production rising by just 0.88bn ft³/d (24.92mn m³/d) year-on-year in 2023. “The limited growth from the Northeast is really a function of takeaway constraints, rather than resource issues or the economics of wells at sub-$4/mn Btu Henry Hub prices,” says the firm’s senior vice-president of intelligence, Steve Diederichs. “And we do not expect significant relief until the Mountain Valley Pipeline comes onlin
Also in this section
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries
31 March 2026
Disappointing results in its bidding round are a reality check for Libya, and global exploration generally






