Prices fall as US shale gas supplies keep rising
The prices have fallen to levels seen in early 2012 thanks to continuing supplies of shale
Falling natural gas prices and a plunging rig count are doing little to slow the US shale-gas juggernaut. Henry Hub prices have fallen around 40% from around $4.40 per million British thermal units (Btu) in November last year to just $2.68/m Btu this week, nearing lows seen in early 2012. Prices have been even lower in areas inundated with new shale supplies. Prices for deliveries from the Marcellus shale on Tennessee’s pipeline system are down to around $1.40/m Btu, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). At the same time, the gas-directed rig count is falling as drillers slash capital spending. The decline hasn’t been as sharp as it has been for the oil-rig count, but
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
