Shale Plays to Account for 50% of Natural Gas Production

April 26, 2011

Master limited partnerships (MLPs) are investing in the energy infrastructure necessary to tap into shales, which are on track to account for 50% of natural gas production in the next five to seven years, says Raymond James Vice President Darren Horowitz.

“Over the past year we’ve seen rigs slowly migrate out of the older gas shales — such as the Barnett, Fayetteville and Woodford — and move into the more liquids-rich plays, such as Granite Wash, Eagle Ford, Marcellus and Cana Woodford,” Horowitz said.

Horowitz also sees opportunities for MLPs in the Jonah/Pinedale, Piceance/Uinta and the San Juan basins for domestic natural gas liquids (NGL) and natural gas development in the coming years.

“You continue to see more and more focus on a lot of these emerging plays, and ultimately that’s what’s going to drive incremental production and the need for additional infrastructure,” Horowitz said.