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Shale gas and tight oil production in the United States is forecast to increase to more than 35 trillion cubic feet by 2050, up from 29.4 trillion cubic feet in 2024. Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within dense shale formations. Tight oil is crude oil contained in such rock formations. It is extracted by drilling wells and pumping a sand, water, and chemical mixture into the rock. The pressure under which the mixture is pushed into fissures cracks the rock open, allowing for the gas and oil to be removed.Ìý

Origins of U.S. shale gas production

The extraction of shale gas and tight oil in the U.S. has increased dramatically since 2000; from about 1.77 trillion cubic feet to over 29 trillion cubic feet in 2024. The economic viability of shale exploration is a result of technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), as well as a surge in oil benchmark prices in the late 2000s and early 2010s. China's fast-growing economy meant it required ever greater amounts of petroleum products, while the largest oil producing body, OPEC, tightly controlled production output in order to push prices higher. This led to the WTI crude oil price climbing to an annual average of nearly 100 U.S. dollars in 2008, despite the onset of the financial crisis. Although early shale pioneer Mitchell Energy had experimented with horizontal drilling and fracking, it took until the 2000s for the technology to hit off.ÌýShale gas production is concentrated primarily in regions such as the Northeast and the Gulf Coast, with Appalachia being the most productive U.S. natural gas region.Ìý

Fossil fuel reserves in the U.S.

The United States had 17.4 trillion cubic meters of proved natural gas reserves, as of 2023. The North American country ranked fourth among the leading countries by proved natural gas reserves. Russia led the ranking with over 44 trillion cubic meters. The same year, U.S. oil reserves amounted to over 47 billion barrels, more than double the amount in 2000.Ìý