Growth DRIVERS

Overview 

Opportunities to bring new gas to market 

Expansion Projects Map 

Historically, the majority of gas in the United States has come from conventional gas fields along the Gulf Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. The gas in these large, shallow reservoirs was easily produced at relatively low cost, but these volumes have been declining, even with new discoveries and deepwater drilling. Growing demand and higher gas prices made it profitable for producers to pursue natural gas supply from “unconventional” gas fields.  Over the past several years, technological advances have helped to reduce the cost of extracting natural gas from unconventional gas plays resulting in a natural gas supply boom in the United States.  

In the United States, there are three major types of unconventional resources: tight gas sands, coalbed methane and shale gas. Production from unconventional resources is forecasted to grow to 65% of total U.S. Lower 48 onshore gas supply by 2012, and shale gas plays are expected to display the greatest percentage growth among unconventional resources.[1]

Boardwalk's well-situated pipelines

Boardwalk’s pipelines are well-situated to benefit from the development of shale gas plays, particularly the prolific Barnett Shale to the west of Fort Worth, Texas, and the emerging Haynesville, Fayetteville and Caney/Woodford shale plays predominately in Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Barnett Shale is currently the most mature shale play. Although each shale play is geologically different, many of the techniques used for exploration, drilling, completion, and stimulation in the Barnett Shale will speed development of the Haynesville, Fayetteville and Caney/Woodford plays.  Unconventional plays are currently the focus of domestic natural gas supply development and we believe we are building a premier pipeline system which will give us significant opportunities for continued growth.

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Opportunities to bring new gas to market

The need to bring unconventional gas to market has created opportunities for building new pipelines.  

These projects will strengthen Boardwalk by:

• Increasing the diversity of our gas supplies by accessing unconventional gas
• Expanding our geographic footprint
• Providing a platform for future growth

* The Perryville Area has interconnects to the Columbia Gulf and Texas Gas pipelines. 

For more information about these projects, please see "Expansion Projects."  

 PDF Version 

Notes:

1.  Wood Mackenzie North American Gas Service, April 2008.

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