The Natural Gas Pipeline and Storage Infrastructure Projections Through 2030 study undertaken by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) Foundation Inc. anticipates a $US133 to $US210 billion investment in infrastructure over the next 20 years. This investment will be primarily to attach increased domestic natural gas production from unconventional shale basins and tight sands to the existing pipeline network. The study also shows that by 2030 the US and Canada will need approximately 29,000 to 62,000 miles of additional natural gas pipelines and 370 to 600 billion cubic feet of additional storage capacity in order to accommodate market requirements.
The study warns that 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 study, 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.
Chairman of the INGAA Foundation Gary Sypolt says “The domestic supply picture for natural gas has been redrawn and experts agree we now have more than 100 years of technically recoverable gas in the US and Canada,”
“This study spotlights what this sea change in domestic supply will mean for investment in additional pipeline, storage and midstream infrastructure.”
Additional infrastructure projects needed between 2010 and 2030 include 6.6 to 11.6 million horsepower of new gas transmission pipeline compression and 15,000 to 26,000 miles of new gathering pipelines.
