Slide 7 of 18
Notes:
- I have no doubt that one of the areas that Secretary Norton will focus on is Alaska. Alaska is very rich in natural gas, with potential for both onshore and offshore resources. Looking at conventional resources, Alaska has 25 percent of the U.S. natural gas reserves, and is estimated to have 36 percent of the undiscovered gas in the U.S. There is also the potential for significant quantities of unconventional resources, like coal bed methane and gas hydrates.
- In Alaska, the total potential for undiscovered gas from onshore and offshore is 191 tcf, or 7 times the known reserves at Prudhoe Bay. Eighty-two percent of this gas, or more than 156 tcf, occurs in Arctic areas north of the Brooks Range.
- Of the 156 tcf found in this area, 64 tcf is onshore and 92 tcf is located offshore, specifically, on the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea shelves. The natural gas in this small section of the U.S equals about 30 percent of the undiscovered gas assessed for the entire U.S.
- When we add the 53 tcf estimated to be found in the Mackenzie delta, here in Canada, we have a very significant quantity of natural gas that is found in a fairly compact area. Obviously, these Arctic areas of the U.S. and Canada seem destined to someday become major gas-producing provinces. The question is, of course, what resources are available now and how do we get them to market.
