Natural gas from shale history
Natural gas has been produced from shale in minor quantities since the 1800s, but significant commercial production didn't begin until 1926 when development of the Devonian shales in the U.S. Appalachian Basin began. Widespread development did not occur until the 1980s when a U.S. government tax incentive program stimulated exploration and development of unconventional reservoirs, including gas shales.
There has been no commercial shale gas production in Canada to date. The Gas Technology Institute conducted a study of Canadian gas shale potential that was released in 2003. Although incomplete, this study estimated over 860 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resource in the gas shales.
If only a fraction of Canada's gas shale resource could be recovered, it would represent a significant addition to Canada's natural gas reserves.
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