International Forum on Shale Gas Development and Utilization

International Forum on Shale Gas Development and Utilization

Date
November 15, 2012

In the last decade, US energy composition has drastically changed due to new supplies of natural gas from shale formations. New applications of hydraulic fracturing technology and horizontal drilling have allowed countries across the globe to recover these resources in an economically viable fashion and subsequently pursue more sustainable energy mixes.

Within this context, RFF experts met with several agencies and organizations in Beijing in November 2012 to discuss the prospects facing this emerging industry. The “International Forum on Shale Gas Development and Utilization” was hosted by China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) and organized by the Energy Research Institute, a branch of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The forum examined opportunities and challenges raised by shale gas development and use, including Sino-US resource management, environmental risks, and associated effects on the electricity and transportation sectors.

RFF has created a new research collaboration with institutions in China dedicated to improving Chinese energy policy. This partnership, the Consortium for Energy Economics and Policy in China (CEEPIC), is led by RFF Fellow Zhongmin Wang, along with Senior Fellow Alan Krupnick and Jintao Xu, director of the China Center for Energy and Development in the National School of Economic Development at Peking University

A summary of presentations by RFF scholars is available here. Available full presentations are linked below.

AGENDA
November 15, 2012

Morning
Moderator: Liu Hong, Deputy Director General, Department of Oil and Gas, NEA

9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks

• Zhang Yuqing, Deputy Administrator, NEA
• William Reilly, Chairman, ClimateWorks Foundation, Former Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency
• Han Wenke, Director General, Energy Research Institute, NDRC
  

Session One: Shale Gas Development and Utilization: Policies, Environmental Impact, and Regulation

9:20 a.m.
A Retrospective Review of Shale Gas Development in the United States
Zhongmin Wang, Fellow, Resources for the Future

9:40 a.m.
Discussions: Sino-US Shale Gas Development Industrial Policies
Chen Qingtai, Former Vice President, Development Research Center, State Council

10:00 a.m.
The Regulations of Shale Gas Development in the United States: Federal and State Approaches
Zhongmin Wang, Fellow, Resources for the Future

10:20 a.m.
Discussions: Sino-US Resource Management and Development Regulation
Zhang Dawei, Director, the Mineral Resources and Reserves Evaluation Center, Ministry of Land and Resources

11:00 a.m.
The Environmental Risks of Shale Gas Development
Alan Krupnick, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Energy Economics and Policy, Resources for the Future

11:20 a.m.
Discussion: Environmental Impact of Shale Gas Use and Regulation

Session Two: Shale Gas Development and Utilization: Technical Standards, GHG Emissions, and Other Issues
Moderator: Lui Hong, Deputy Director General, Department of Oil and Gas, NEA

1:30 p.m.
Technical Standards for US Shale Gas Development
Mike Maneffa, Chevron Energy Technology Company

2:20 p.m.
Lifecycle GHG Emissions of Shale Gas Development
Michael Wang, Senior Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory, US Department of Energy

3:20 p.m.
The Effect of the Shale Gas Boom on Electricity and Transport Sectors in the United States
Alan Krupnick, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Energy Economics and Policy, Resources for the Future