Abstract: The Natural Gas Pipeline and Storage Infrastructure Projections Through 2030 study, analyzes future natural gas infrastructure requirements under various market scenarios. It projects a range of investment from $133 to $210 billion in infrastructure over the next 20 years (between $6 and $10 billion per year), primarily to attach increased domestic natural gas production from unconventional shale basins and tight sands to the existing pipeline network. Anticipated market growth from the electric generation and industrial sectors as well as the potential to connect vast Arctic resources and LNG supplies to the grid also will be key drivers for additional investment, according to the study. Miles of pipeline, storage additions, horsepower requirements, gathering facilities and LNG import expansion are all projected.
Study Contact: Hoffmann, Richard R.
The Natural Gas Pipeline and Storage Infrastructure Projections Through 2030 study, analyzes future natural gas infrastructure requirements under various market scenarios. It projects a range of investment from $133 to $210 billion in infrastructure over the next 20 years (between $6 and $10 billion per year), primarily to attach increased domestic natural gas production from unconventional shale basins and tight sands to the existing pipeline network. Anticipated market growth from the electric generation and industrial sectors as well as the potential to connect vast Arctic resources and LNG supplies to the grid also will be key drivers for additional investment, according to the study. Miles of pipeline, storage additions, horsepower requirements, gathering facilities and LNG import expansion are all projected.By 2030, the U.S. and Canada will need approximately 29,000 to 62,000 miles of additional natural gas pipelines and 370 to 600 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of additional storage capacity, in order to accommodate market requirements. The majority of storage capacity additions are projected to be high deliverability salt cavern storage, which would essentially double current capacity. Insufficient infrastructure development could lead to price volatility, reduced economic growth and diminished delivery of gas supply to consumers who need it most, according to the stud
Other infrastructure needed from 2009 to 2030:
o 6.6 to 11.6 million horsepower of new gas transmission pipeline compression
o 15,000 to 26,000 miles of new gathering pipelines
o 20 to 38 Bcf per day of new natural gas processing capacity
o 3.5 Bcf per day of new LNG import terminal capacity
In the Base Case projection, annual natural gas consumption in the U.S. and Canada is projected to grow from about 26.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2008 to 31.8 Tcf by 2030, which equates to total market growth of 18 percent, or an annual growth rate of 0.8 percent. The two alternate cases, High Gas Growth and Low Electric Load Growth, bracket reasonable ranges of future gas consumption.
