ARCHIVED  September 1, 2011

Symposium: Natural gas rich resource for state, region

FORT COLLINS – Colorado’s natural gas deposits promise to be a rich
resource for the energy needs of today and the future, panelists
discussing the future of the natural gas industry said Aug. 31.

New wells being drilled in the Niobrara formation in Weld County and
Northern Colorado are providing vast new quantities of natural gas. The
fossil fuel is viewed by many as perhaps the best “bridge” fuel to move
the United States and global economies into a more
renewable-fuel-oriented future.

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“We see a future in which natural gas is really enabling renewables to
help make a firm energy future,´ said Bryan Willson, director of
Colorado State University’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and
moderator of the discussion, held at the Rocky Mountain Innosphere in
Fort Collins.

Panelists included Frans Westenbrink, Woodward; Forbes Guthrie, Stewart
Environmental; Ed VanDyne, VanDyne SuperTurbo; Bill Ward, Ward
Petroleum; and Andrew Casper, Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Westenbrink said the world’s expanding population and modernization of
countries like India and China are pushing the need for more energy
resources like natural gas.

Westenbrink said some have heralded the “golden age of natural gas” due
to plentiful supplies in North America, new technology such as fracking
to get at deposits previously too expensive to tap and the demand from
developing nations like China.

Guthrie said the success of unconventional drilling techniques like
fracking and horizontal drilling are helping the industry tap more
natural gas deposits than ever before. But he said the new techniques
require lots of water, which is a concern in the West.

“We’ve got a 50- to 100-year window (of energy supply),” Guthrie said of
natural gas. “It’s a great bridge fuel but we can’t get it without
water. Energy companies need a lot of water to explore, but where are we
going to get that water? That’s the key question.”

VanDyne, inventor of the VanDyne SuperTurbo engine, said his engine’s
technology can get better performance with natural gas than with diesel
fuel.

Ward, whose company is drilling wells in the Niobrara formation, said he
believes there may be a 100-year supply of natural gas in the United
States.

“The big game changer is the shale (formation) plays, which have been brought in through technology advances,” he said.

Ward said one big challenge in the new fields of the Niobrara is getting equipment and supplies delivered more efficiently.

“There are some critical issues to address from the production side,” he
said. “There’s not yet a natural gas infrastructure to serve all the
new wells out there.”

Willson said perceptions about natural gas are changing concerning its “greenness” and availability to meet energy needs.

“The perception was there wasn’t a lot of it,” he said. “That thinking
is changing because the supply outlook has changed dramatically.
Technology has made it more accessible, and it appears it has a real
role in a renewable energy future.”

The free symposium was sponsored by the Colorado Engine and Transportation Innovation Cluster.

FORT COLLINS – Colorado’s natural gas deposits promise to be a rich
resource for the energy needs of today and the future, panelists
discussing the future of the natural gas industry said Aug. 31.

New wells being drilled in the Niobrara formation in Weld County and
Northern Colorado are providing vast new quantities of natural gas. The
fossil fuel is viewed by many as perhaps the best “bridge” fuel to move
the United States and global economies into a more
renewable-fuel-oriented future.

“We see a future in which natural gas is really enabling renewables to

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