By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Marcellus and Utica shale formations are among the largest sources of natural gas and natural gas liquids in the world, and their production will increase exponentially in the next 20 years; that is, the Ohio Valley will supply 45 percent of all U.S. natural gas by 2040.

These figures are from a study performed by IHS Markit, a London-based company that includes more than 5,000 analysts, data scientists, financial experts, and industry leaders. It was commissioned by Shale Crescent USA and JobsOhio and was released at the World Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

The high numbers are attributed to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This is a well-stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid-sand mixture. Such a process creates deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely.

The study examined both production trends and the economics of petrochemical production in the region, and stated “the region will play a key role in satisfying America’s increasing reliance on natural gas, as well as keeping energy costs moderate.”

“This Shale Crescent region is the third-largest natural gas producer in the world. The region produces more than Texas,” said Wally Kandel, spokesperson for Shale Crescent USA, a nonprofit.

Its mission is to encourage business growth along the Ohio River Valley based upon low natural gas prices that allow manufacturers to operate more efficiently, while producing goods more economically with access to water and half the population of the United States.

Fracking began as an experiment in 1947. As of 2012, 2.5 million “frac jobs” had been performed worldwide, with just over a million of those within the United States. And the most promising sites have proven to be the Marcellus and Utica shale region known as the Shale Crescent – northern West Virginia, southeastern Ohio, and southwestern Pennsylvania.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR), since 1990 more than 15,000 Ohio wells have used hydraulic fracturing. The first commercial fracking well was drilled more than 60 years ago in Oklahoma.

Hydraulic fracturing has been highly controversial in Ohio ever since the process began in 1990 and made its way into the state as it headed westward from Pennsylvania. Its proponents advocate the economic benefits of more extensively accessible hydrocarbons, as well as replacing coal with gas, which is cleaner and emits less carbon dioxide.

Opponents argue that these are outweighed by potential environmental impacts, which include risks of ground and surface water contamination, air and noise pollution, and the triggering of earthquakes. Despite some resistance from the general public and outcry from environmentalists, fracking continues.

“The abundance of natural gas and natural gas liquids has impacted our project pipeline,” said Dana Saucier Jr., JobsOhio Vice president and head of economic development. “We are in conversations with companies seeking to expand as well as construct new plants in the region.”

In Ohio alone, DNR figures show the state’s  horizontal shale well oil and gas production continues to climb and had produced more than 4.4 million barrels of oil and 545 billion cubic feet of natural gas by the end of the second quarter of 2018.

The top two gas-producing wells in Ohio can be found in Belmont County, and this county has three wells in the state’s top 10. Jefferson County holds claim to five wells in the state’s top 10. The other top 10 wells can be found in Harrison and Monroe counties.