Assessing the economic margins of sweet spots in shale gas plays

Ruud Weijermars and Joost van der Linden outline a new reality for shale gas plays where even sweet spots may become sub-economic when gas prices collapse. The North American shale-gas bonanza is reviewed and sweet spot sensitivity to gas price volatility is illustrated for the Haynesville shale play. The second part of this article will follow in the January issue.