Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page i
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page iii

Table of Contents

Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... v

1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Purpose of This Study..........................................................................................................................1

1.2 Recent Developments in the U.S. Natural Gas Sector ........................................................................2

1.3 Economics of Natural Gas Transmission .............................................................................................3

1.4 Institutional Considerations................................................................................................................4

2. Model Description, Limitations, and Scenarios ....................................................................................7

2.1 Model Description...............................................................................................................................7

2.2 Modeling Limitations ..........................................................................................................................8

2.3 Description of Scenarios ...................................................................................................................10

3. Model Results .....................................................................................................................................13

3.1 Natural Gas Demand.........................................................................................................................13

3.2 Natural Gas Supply............................................................................................................................17

3.3 Natural Gas Prices.............................................................................................................................18

3.4 Natural Gas Transmission .................................................................................................................20

3.5 Expenditures on Natural Gas Transmission Infrastructure...............................................................26

4. Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................31

Appendix A. Additional Figures...................................................................................................................33

Appendix A.1 Map of Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Regions...........................................33

Appendix A.2 Map of Lower 48 States Shale Plays.................................................................................34

Appendix A.3 Map of Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Regions..............................................................35

Appendix B. Electric Power Sector Results .................................................................................................37
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page v

Executive Summary

The natural gas sector in the United States has been fundamentally transformed by technological 

advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that have enabled the economic extraction

of natural gas from shale formations. This breakthrough has, in turn, unlocked new, geographically 

diverse natural gas resources that are unprecedented in size. 

The availability of abundant, low-cost natural gas has increased demand for natural gas from multiple 

end-use sectors. In the electric power sector, which is currently the largest consumer of natural gas in 

the United States, the record-low natural gas prices during the month of April 2012 drove generation 

from natural gas to virtually match that of coal. While coal has regained some of its market share 

because of gradually rising natural gas prices, the combination of favorable economics and the lower 

conventional air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with natural gas relative to other 

fossil fuels is likely to contribute to expanded use of natural gas in the electric power sector in the 

future. 

However, increased use of natural gas in the electric power sector also presents some potential 

challenges. Unlike other fossil fuels, natural gas cannot typically be stored on-site and must be delivered 

as it is consumed. Because adequate natural gas infrastructure is a key component of electric system 

reliability in many regions, it is important to understand the implications of greater natural gas demand 

for the infrastructure required to deliver natural gas to end users, including electric generators.

The purpose of this study is to understand the potential infrastructure needs of the U.S. interstate 

natural gas pipeline transmission system under several future natural gas demand scenarios. Specifically, 

three scenarios were developed: a reference scenario and two scenarios with increased electric sector 

natural gas demand. Both increased demand scenarios—an Intermediate Demand Case and a High 

Demand Case—are based on a simple, illustrative national carbon policy applied to the electric power 

sector (not based on any real or proposed policy) that drives increased electric sector natural gas use. 

The Intermediate and High Demand Cases differ only in their underlying assumptions about coal-fired 

power plant retirements. In particular, the High Demand Case, which assumes greater coal-fired power 

plant retirements, is intended to be an upper-bound test case on natural gas consumption in the electric 

power sector.1

To perform this analysis, the U.S. Department of Energy commissioned Deloitte MarketPoint to examine

these scenarios in its North American Integrated Model (NAIM), which simultaneously models the 

electric power and the natural gas sectors.

 

1

For a more detailed description of the scenarios considered in this analysis, see Section 2.3 Description of Scenarios.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page vi U.S. Department of Energy

The key findings of this analysis are the following:

Key Finding 1: Diverse sources of natural gas supply and demand will reduce the need for additional 

interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure. The combination of a geographic shift in regional natural 

gas production—largely due to the expanded production of natural gas from shale formations—and

growth in natural gas demand is projected to require expanded natural gas pipeline capacity. However, 

the rate of pipeline capacity expansion in the scenarios considered by this analysis is lower than the 

historical rate of natural gas pipeline capacity expansion. Pipeline capacity additions in the cases 

considered here are projected to be 38–42 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) between 2015 and 2030. In 

comparison, between 1998 and 2013, nearly 127 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity was added in the United 

States. Because projected natural gas production and demand are geographically diverse, the need for 

additional interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure is lower than would be expected if the increased 

production or demand were concentrated in a particular region. Furthermore, recent pipeline capacity 

additions that were placed in service between 2007 and the present in order to realign the U.S. natural 

gas transmission system with changing supply and demand conditions driven by increases in shale gas 

production are likely to reduce the need for future pipeline infrastructure.

Key Finding 2: Higher utilization of existing interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure will reduce

the need for new pipelines. The U.S. pipeline system is not fully utilized because flow patterns have 

evolved with changes in supply and demand. Increased demand for natural gas in the scenarios 

considered by this analysis does not lead to larger increases in pipeline capacity because, in some 

regions, available existing pipeline capacity is projected to be used before expanding existing pipelines 

or building new capacity. Given the cost of building new pipelines, finding alternative routes that utilize 

available existing pipeline capacity is often less costly than expanding pipeline capacity. While 

seasonality of demand requires pipelines to accommodate peak natural gas demand, the incremental 

demand from new base load natural gas generation in the scenarios considered in this analysis tends to 

be relatively uniform across the year. It is easier to accommodate this relatively uniform incremental 

natural gas demand on existing pipelines than it would be to accommodate demand that coincides more 

strongly with peak demand.

Key Finding 3: Incremental interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure needs in a future with an 

illustrative national carbon policy are projected to be modest relative to the Reference Case. While a 

future carbon policy may significantly increase natural gas demand from the electric power sector, the

projected incremental increase in natural gas pipeline capacity additions is modest relative to the 

Reference Case. In the Intermediate Demand Case, an incremental 1.4 Bcf/d (about 4% of total 

Reference Case capacity additions of 38 Bcf/d) of additional pipeline capacity above Reference Case 

levels is projected to be built. Similarly, in the High Demand Case, an incremental 3.9 Bcf/d (10% of total 

Reference Case capacity additions of 38 Bcf/d) of additional pipeline capacity above Reference Case 

levels is projected to be built. These relatively modest incremental additions follow from the system 

characteristics described previously and from the pipeline infrastructure attributes of the sources of 

incremental natural gas supply across the cases. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page vii

Key Finding 4: While there are constraints to siting new interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure, 

the projected pipeline capacity additions in this study are lower than past additions that have 

accommodated such constraints. Siting energy infrastructure in the United States is a complex, multijurisdictional, and multidimensional process, with no two projects facing the same set of issues. While 

these barriers present potential challenges to expanding U.S. natural gas infrastructure, the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has authorities to facilitate siting of natural gas pipeline

infrastructure. Similarly, while there are a number of institutional and other barriers to siting 

infrastructure and coordinating the natural gas and electric systems, there are multiple processes 

underway to address these issues. In addition, the projected pipeline capacity additions in this study 

(ranging from 38 to 42 Bcf/d across the cases from 2015 to 2030) are lower than past additions (127

Bcf/d of pipeline capacity was added from 1998 to 2013) that have accommodated siting constraints.

However, if siting energy infrastructure becomes more or less challenging in the future, the level of 

effort needed to site the pipeline capacity additions projected in this analysis could increase or 

decrease. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 1

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose of This Study

Over the past decade, natural gas production in the United States has undergone a revolution. The 

combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technology has allowed economic access to 

enormous quantities of natural gas from shale formations. As a result, in 2013, the United States 

became the world’s largest producer of hydrocarbons.2This development has had and will likely 

continue to have significant consequences for the broader economy. The impact of abundant, low-cost 

natural gas is particularly important in the electric power sector. During the month of April 2012, 

electricity generation from natural gas-fired plants virtually matched generation from coal-fired plants.

3

While coal has regained some of its market share because of gradually rising natural gas prices, growth 

in natural gas generation is projected to continue in the future.4

Increased use of natural gas in electric generation presents some potential challenges. While coal can 

typically be stored on-site at power plants, natural gas must be delivered as it is used.5Because 

adequate natural gas infrastructure is a key component of electric system reliability in many regions, it is 

important to understand the implications of greater natural gas demand for the infrastructure required 

to deliver natural gas to end users, including electric generators.

The United States has more than 217,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines to deliver natural gas 

from producing regions to end users.6 However, the continued development of natural gas from shale 

formations, which tend to be situated outside of traditional natural gas producing regions, will require 

new pipeline infrastructure and/or the repurposing of existing infrastructure.

The purpose of this study is to understand the potential infrastructure needs of the natural gas pipeline 

system under several future natural gas demand scenarios. Specifically, three scenarios were developed: 

a reference scenario and two scenarios with increased electric sector natural gas demand. Both 

increased demand scenarios—an Intermediate Demand Case and a High Demand Case—apply a simple, 

illustrative carbon policy to the U.S. electric power sector (not based on any real or proposed policy) 

that drives increased electric sector natural gas use. These cases differ only in their underlying 

 

2

U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Total Oil Supply (Thousand Barrels Per Day),” International Energy Statistics,

http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=5&pid=53&aid=1; U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Dry 

Natural Gas Production (Billion Cubic Feet),” International Energy Statistics, accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=3&pid=26&aid=1.

3

U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Net generation for United States, monthly,” Electricity Data Browser, accessed 

September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/0?agg=0,1,2&fuel=pe&geo=g&sec=g&freq=M&start=200701&end=20120

4&charted=3-5-7-9-11. 

4

U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Table 8. Electricity Supply, Disposition, Prices, and Emissions,” Annual Energy

Outlook 2014, May 7, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/excel/aeotab_8.xlsx. 

5

Some natural gas power plants also have the ability to operate on alternatives to pipeline-delivered natural gas, such as fuel 

oil and local stores of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In addition, note that potential deliverability 

challenges for coal have also been documented. For example, see: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Coal stockpiles at 

coal-fired power plants smaller than in recent years,” Today in Energy, November 6, 2014, accessed November 12, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=18711. 

6

U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Estimated Natural Gas Pipeline Mileage in the Lower 48 States, Close of 2008,” 

accessed October 23, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/ngpipeline/mileage.html.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 2 U.S. Department of Energy

assumptions about coal-fired power plant retirements. In particular, the High Demand Case, which 

assumes greater coal-fired power plant retirements, is intended to be an upper-bound test case on 

natural gas consumption in the electric power sector.

1.2 Recent Developments in the U.S. Natural Gas Sector

The United States has an extensive natural gas infrastructure that efficiently produces, stores, and 

transports natural gas from producing fields to end users. The United States is the largest consumer of 

natural gas in the world, and with the recent growth in shale gas production, the United States is also 

now the world’s largest natural gas producer.7As shown in Figure 1, pipelines originate in supply regions

and transport natural gas to major market regions as well as to smaller markets throughout the country. 

While most pipelines are relatively short (several hundred miles or less), some major transmission 

pipelines stretch over a thousand miles. For example, the Transcontinental (Transco) pipeline, 

connecting Texas and Louisiana supplies to Mid-Atlantic markets, and the Rockies Express (REX) pipeline, 

connecting Colorado and Wyoming supplies to Ohio and eastern markets, are both about 1,700 miles 

long. 

Figure 1: U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline System8

Because pipelines are not moved once they are built, new pipelines or modifications to existing pipelines

are required when production in a supply basin grows and reaches pipeline takeaway capacity 

constraints out of the region, or when demand in a market area grows to exceed the pipeline system 

 

7

U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Dry Natural Gas Production (Billion Cubic Feet),” International Energy Statistics, 

accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=3&pid=26&aid=1. 

8

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Oil & Gas, Natural Gas Division, Gas Transportation Information System.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 3

capacity to deliver into the region. For example, during the previous decade, rapid growth in Rockies 

natural gas production gave rise to the REX pipeline, which transports natural gas produced in the region 

to markets in the East. Similarly, rapid natural gas demand growth in Florida prompted construction of 

the Gulfstream pipeline and numerous expansions of the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline so that 

natural gas produced in the Gulf region could be delivered to consumers in Florida.

The most prolific shale gas basin in the United States is the Marcellus, with the prime fields located in 

Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The growth in Marcellus shale gas production has had a major impact 

on the flow of natural gas throughout the United States. Natural gas that was once imported from other 

states into eastern markets has been increasingly displaced by Marcellus production. While pipeline 

capacity connecting Marcellus producing fields to either natural gas markets or interconnections to 

existing pipelines has been added, some natural gas production has yet to be connected, because 

pipeline takeaway capacity is still limited.

1.3 Economics of Natural Gas Transmission

New natural gas pipeline development is driven by market supply and demand, which expresses itself in 

the form of basis differential, or the difference in natural gas prices between two locations or “hubs.” 

Basis differentials provide an incentive for prospective pipeline shippers (the party that wants to 

transport natural gas) to request that a pipeline company (the party that develops and/or owns the 

pipeline, often referred to as the “operator”) construct new pipeline capacity and enter into long-term 

contracts for firm pipeline transportation service sufficient to enable the pipeline operator to proceed 

with the project.9Effectively, such an agreement enables the operator to have confidence that a 

significant share of the project’s development, construction, financing, and operating costs will be 

recoverable from shippers. Once a new natural gas pipeline is constructed, the shipper can rely on its 

contract for firm transportation service to capture the resulting basis differential.10 Basis differentials, 

and how the captured revenues compare to the cost of constructing pipelines, largely determine how 

much and in which locations pipeline capacity is likely to be added.11

 

9

Shippers may be gas marketers or other entities, such as local distribution companies that contract for transportation service 

in order to gain access to supply to serve retail customers. Also, pipeline operators typically do not own upstream natural gas 

assets but instead generate revenue by offering pipeline capacity to shippers. In 1992, the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission issued Order Number 636, “Restructuring of Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Services (Final Rule).” Order Number 

636 fundamentally altered the manner in which pipeline operators conducted business by requiring pipeline companies to sell 

natural gas transportation, storage, and other services separately (often referred to as “unbundling”), and enabled all 

participants in the U.S. natural gas market to buy, sell, or trade natural gas with any other market participant. For more details, 

see http://www.ferc.gov/legal/maj-ord-reg/land-docs/restruct.asp. Note also that natural gas may be contracted on a firm, or 

uninterruptible, basis. Firm transportation service is backed by an agreement that typically binds both parties to the agreement 

to either deliver or receive the quantity of natural gas specified in the agreement. Firm service has priority over interruptible 

service and cannot be curtailed during periods of high demand.

10 Note also that while requests for firm transportation service by shippers effectively drive new pipeline expansion, these 

shippers may make available transportation service to others in the secondary or resale markets once the pipeline is fully 

constructed and operating. 

11 Changes in other sectors, such as electricity, may further change the supply and demand conditions within natural gas 

markets. These changes may, in turn, affect basis differentials and the resulting incentives for natural gas pipeline infrastructure 

development.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 4 U.S. Department of Energy

The cost of constructing pipelines can be significant. For example, the 1,698-mile-long REX pipeline, 

which has a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), cost approximately $5 billion to construct.12

In order for the economics of the pipeline to be favorable, the natural gas flowing through the pipeline 

must generate sufficient revenue over its operating lifetime to justify the upfront capital investment.

Revenue and/or cost recovery for pipeline shippers depends on the demand for natural gas, which is 

highly seasonal, particularly in the East. Moreover, pipeline shippers sometimes capture high value for 

short durations, often during peak periods, when increased demand, coupled with transmission 

constraints, causes basis differentials to rise. For example, the “polar vortex,” which occurred during the 

winter of 2013–2014 and plunged the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast into a deep freeze, 

highlights how pipeline transmission constraints can cause price spikes in transmission-constrained 

markets. In fact, even during normal years in regions served by limited pipeline capacity, significant 

transmission constraints can last for weeks. However, while price spikes and temporary transmission 

constraints associated with extreme weather events can have significant impacts on natural gas 

consumers, a price spike may or may not provide sufficient revenue to justify additional infrastructure 

investment. 

1.4 Institutional Considerations

Siting energy infrastructure in the United States is a complex, multi-jurisdictional, and multidimensional

process, with no two projects facing the same set of issues. While these barriers present potential

challenges to expanding U.S. natural gas infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

(FERC) has authorities to facilitate siting of natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Specifically, under the 

Natural Gas Act (NGA), FERC has authority to regulate the interstate transmission and certain sales for 

resale of natural gas.13 Central to resolving siting and cost allocation issues, FERC also possesses 

authority to grant the right of eminent domain for the construction of pipelines, and under Section 7 of 

the NGA, FERC can issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity to allow pipeline operators to 

recover expenses associated with pipeline construction and operation. 

The combination of technical change, fundamental economic drivers, and related institutional 

considerations explain the history of pipeline capacity additions in the United States. Figure 2 depicts 

total U.S. pipeline capacity additions and construction expenditures by year in which pipelines were or 

are expected to be placed in service.14 There has been significant investment in new interstate pipeline 

capacity over the last 18 years for which data are available, with more than 133 Bcf/d of capacity 

additions and $65 billion in capital expenditures. The pipeline expenditures in Figure 2 do not follow a 

smooth path over time; major projects, such as the REX pipeline, which placed sections of the pipeline 

into service in 2008 and 2009, result in total expenditures for a particular year that exceed the long-run 

 

12 Scott Parker, “Natural Gas Pipelines,” Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P., accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.kindermorgan.com/content/docs/2008_Analysts_Conf_02_Natural_Gas_Pipelines.pdf.

13 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Natural Gas Act of 1938,” accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/ngmajorleg/ngact1938.html. 

14 The data in Figure 2 reflect both the capacity and cost associated with constructing new pipelines as well as adding capacity 

to existing pipelines. In addition, the data account for the capacity and cost associated with reversing flows in existing pipelines.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 5

average. Recent growth in natural gas production from shale formations has spurred new growth in 

pipeline construction because many large shale deposits are located outside of regions with a history of 

natural gas production and therefore lack the associated infrastructure. As such, the majority of 

expenditures for pipelines placed in service from 2010 through 2013 were for projects designed to 

transport shale gas. 

Figure 2: Interstate Pipeline Capacity Additions and Capital Expenditures by Year in Service15

 

15 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “U.S. natural gas pipeline projects,” July 1, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/pipelines/EIA-NaturalGasPipelineProjects.xls. Years 2014–2016 are additions reported as 

planned.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 7

2. Model Description, Limitations, and Scenarios

2.1 Model Description

This study uses the Deloitte MarketPoint North American Integrated Model (NAIM) to analyze the

interaction between electric power and natural gas markets in North America.16NAIM includes detailed 

and comprehensive electricity and natural gas market models. Each sectoral model includes

disaggregated representations of supply, infrastructure, and demand by geographic region within North 

America. These two sectoral models are then integrated both geographically and temporally to produce 

a comprehensive and self-consistent set of results across both markets.

NAIM applies microeconomic theory to solve for market-clearing prices and quantities simultaneously 

across multiple markets, multiple commodities, and multiple time steps. It performs fundamental 

market analysis of supply and demand within each region and their dynamic interactions. The model

uses monthly time steps over a 30-year time horizon, but the electricity model further disaggregates the 

monthly time steps to more accurately represent load duration curves in each region.

On the natural gas side of NAIM, the model represents natural gas producer decisions regarding the 

timing and quantity of reserves to add, given producers’ resource endowments, the cost to bring 

production online, and anticipated forward prices. Within the model, there are about 40 natural gas 

supply regions in the United States. The model uses depletable resource economics to compute a 

resource production schedule that maximizes profit, given endogenously projected wellhead prices.

Under this approach, today’s drilling affects tomorrow’s natural gas prices and, conversely, expectations 

about tomorrow’s natural gas prices affect today’s drilling.

NAIM also represents the existing interstate pipeline system by pipeline segment. The model builds 

additional pipeline capacity when it is economic, given the computed supply-demand dynamics as well 

as infrastructure constraints and costs. Specifically, the model builds pipeline capacity if the basis 

differential across a new pipeline would be large enough to cover pipeline variable costs and recovery of 

upfront capital costs for expansion, while providing a sufficient rate of return. That is, the volume of 

natural gas flows over time must deliver sufficient after-tax margins to justify the cost of expansion. 

The model input that determines the cost of expansion is the overnight capital cost.17 Estimates of

capital cost are derived from the cost of actual pipeline projects. For example, a 1 Bcf/d pipeline 

expansion that costs $500 million would have a capital cost of $1.37 per million cubic feet (Mcf) of 

 

16 For more details on the Deloitte MarketPoint North American Integrated Model, see: Deloitte MarketPoint, Deloitte 

MarketPoint, 2011, http://www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomUnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_er_marketpoint_marketbuilder011411.PDF. The results are solely for 

informational purposes and are not intended to be predictions of events or future outcomes. Deloitte MarketPoint is not, by 

means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or

services to any person. Deloitte MarketPoint shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who uses or relies on 

this publication.

17 The overnight capital cost is the cost at which a unit could be constructed, assuming that the entire process from planning 

through completion could be accomplished in a single day. It does not include related financing costs (cost of capital) and does 

not reflect potential changes in cost over the actual period during which the capacity would be constructed.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 8 U.S. Department of Energy

annual transmission capacity. The cost of each additional Mcf of expansion for a specific pipeline 

segment is assumed to be constant in the model.

18

To represent natural gas demand for the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, the model 

applies growth rates by sector and region derived from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s

(EIA’s) Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO 2014) Reference Case to historical state-level demand data. 

Demand for natural gas from these sectors is assumed to be responsive to changes in natural gas prices 

over time. Demand for natural gas from the electric power sector is determined endogenously by NAIM, 

which computes fuel use based on competition between different types of power generation.

More specifically, on the electricity side of NAIM, the model contains a representation of the North 

American electricity system, including electric generation assets, bulk transmission between regions,

and load patterns. NAIM projects prices, generation mix, associated fuel use, and environmental 

emissions for North American power markets. The geographic scope encompasses all areas under the

jurisdiction of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which includes portions of 

Canada and Northern Baja Mexico, as well as all of the lower 48 United States.19 Within NAIM there are 

a total of 76 electricity balancing regions. 

Electric generating capacity additions are largely endogenous, with some planned and other capacity 

additions specified exogenously, while all capacity retirements are specified exogenously. NAIM uses 

technology cost and performance assumptions similar to those assumed in EIA’s AEO 2014 Reference 

Case. Electric transmission capacity additions are specified exogenously, and NAIM’s total electric load 

projection is based on the AEO 2014 Reference Case.20

Finally, the representation of inter-commodity linkages allows the model to project how an illustrative

national carbon policy might affect each regional electricity market, which in turn affects the natural gas 

market. Integrating the markets for natural gas and electricity within the model is important because

future U.S. natural gas demand growth is projected to be largely driven by the electric power sector.

2.2 Modeling Limitations

This analysis assumes rational economic behavior with perfect foresight, but a variety of barriers may 

lead to outcomes that differ from those projected by this analysis. Real-world markets may overbuild or 

underbuild infrastructure in anticipation of future demand and prices. For example, by 2006, FERC had 

received 43 applications to construct new U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals, and a total 

of 11 facilities were ultimately built in anticipation of a large increase in LNG imports that never 

 

18 The model also accounts for the costs associated with adding capacity to existing pipelines through expansions and looping 

(adding a new pipeline running parallel to an existing pipeline). In addition, the model accounts for the costs associated with 

reversing flows in existing pipelines. For example, in June 2014, a portion of the Rockies Express Pipeline, which was originally 

constructed to bring natural gas from the Rocky Mountain region to eastern markets, was reconfigured to allow natural gas 

produced in the Marcellus and Utica shale basins to be transported to midwestern markets. See U.S. Energy Information 

Administration, “First westbound natural gas flows begin on Rockies Express Pipeline,” Today in Energy, June 18, 2014, accessed 

October 22, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=16751.

19 For details, see Appendix A.1 Map of Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Regions.

20 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Market Trends: Electricity demand,” Annual Energy Outlook 2014, May 7, 2014, 

accessed October 1, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/MT_electric.cfm. Total electric generation in NAIM is, on average,

approximately 0.8% lower than AEO 2014 Reference Case levels over the projection period. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 9

materialized.21 The approach taken in this study does not try to anticipate suboptimal actions. While 

real-world markets do not always perfectly align supply and demand, it is difficult to determine a 

credible way to anticipate potential future market disequilibrium. 

In addition, interstate pipeline capacity additions in the model are presumed to use the most efficient 

routing, regardless of ownership. Full access to pipeline segments is assumed for both the utilization of 

existing capacity and future capacity additions. As such, the model is limited in its ability to account for 

the potential cost of barriers facing many interstate natural gas pipeline projects, including siting and 

permitting challenges as well as cost allocation and cost recovery issues.22

As discussed later in this report, the amount of new interstate natural gas pipeline capacity projected in 

the scenarios considered in this analysis between 2015 and 2030 (38–42 Bcf/d) is considerably lower 

than the amount of new capacity added for the historical period between 1998 and 2013 (127 Bcf/d). 

Because this historical capacity was constructed in a market and regulatory environment prone to the

siting, permitting, and cost recovery issues described previously, it is reasonable to conclude that a 

smaller amount of total capacity (such as that projected in the Reference Case, Intermediate Demand 

Case, and High Demand Case) could be constructed in the future in a similar market and regulatory 

environment. However, if siting energy infrastructure becomes more or less challenging in the future, 

the level of effort needed to site the pipeline capacity additions projected in this analysis could increase

or decrease. 

Moreover, in the near term, all three scenarios in this analysis project relatively modest interstate 

pipeline capacity additions (2.2–2.7 Bcf/d annually between 2015 and 2020). Increased production from 

shale and other geographically diverse sources of natural gas as well as geographic diversity in the 

sources of natural gas demand have significantly reduced the need for additional construction of 

interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Projected near-term pipeline capacity additions are

smaller than the annual average additions over the last five years for which data are available (8.8 Bcf/d

annually between 2009 and 2013) and also smaller than the average annual capacity additions reported 

 

21 Bipartisan Policy Center, National Commission on Energy Policy, Siting Critical Energy Infrastructure: An Overview of Needs 

and Challenges, June 2006, 33, http://bipartisanpolicy.org/wpcontent/uploads/sites/default/files/Siting%20Critical%20Energy%20Infrastructure_448851db5fa7d.pdf; Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission, “Existing FERC Jurisdictional LNG Import/Export Terminals,” April 19, 2012, accessed October 23, 2014,

http://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/indus-act/lng/exist-term.asp.

22 Independent system operators (ISOs), state governments, and FERC are actively working to improve natural gas system 

deliverability and reliability in organized electricity markets. Policy changes underway include modifications to ISO forward 

capacity market incentives to better align resource performance and flexibility, FERC’s proposed reforms to improve the 

coordination and scheduling of natural gas pipeline capacity with electricity markets, and a New England States Committee on 

Electricity (NESCOE, an organization comprising representatives appointed by six New England governors) proposal to expand 

natural gas pipeline capacity and electric transmission capacity in New England. Selected examples include: FERC, “Coordination 

of the Scheduling Processes of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines and Public Utilities,” Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, March 20, 

2014, http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2014/032014/M-1.pdf; NESCOE, “New England Governors’ Commitment 

to Regional Cooperation on Energy Infrastructure Issues,” December 6, 2013, 

http://nescoe.com/uploads/New_England_Governors_Statement-Energy_12-5-13_final.pdf; PJM Interconnection, “PJM 

Capacity Performance Updated Proposal,” October 7, 2014, http://pjm.com/~/media/documents/reports/20141007-pjmcapacity-performance-proposal.ashx; and ISO New England, “Potential Changes in the Forward Capacity Market (FMC) in New 

England,” October 20, 2014, http://www.iso-ne.com/staticassets/documents/2014/11/03_fcm101_oct_2014_potential_fcm_changes.pdf.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 10 U.S. Department of Energy

as planned for the years 2014–2016 by EIA (5.1 Bcf/d annually).23 Taken together, these comparisons 

suggest that the rate of near-term and medium-term pipeline capacity expansion projected by this 

analysis is consistent with the rate of both historical and planned capacity expansion. 

Projections in this study are also limited by the spatial and temporal resolution of the model. The 

monthly time resolution in the model may not identify interstate pipeline constraints that reflect peak 

demand days or shorter time intervals. Moreover, these projections will not capture most future 

intrastate pipeline capacity additions (as opposed to interstate pipeline capacity additions). Increased 

natural gas demand will likely also require new, smaller pipelines (known as laterals) to connect new 

electric power sector generation. Laterals are difficult to represent because they depend on the precise 

locations of any new electric generating capacity that is built. Similarly, the model represents the 

pipeline gathering system as part of an integrated natural gas gathering and processing system within 

each basin, so natural gas gathering pipeline additions are not explicitly modeled. However, these 

limitations are not likely to affect the conclusions about interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

Finally, the model computes optimal natural gas storage dispatch based on projected monthly prices 

and storage operating parameters. The model does not endogenously determine future storage 

capacity, and storage capacity is held constant in the model.

24 This study also does not address how

greater natural gas demand may affect the need for high-deliverability storage, which becomes 

important at time scales shorter than the monthly time resolution of the model, and is often used by 

natural gas electric power generators. However, none of these assumptions is likely to affect the 

conclusions about interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure. In fact, the lack of natural gas storage 

additions in this study could place more pressure on the natural gas transmission system than would be 

the case if storage expansion were explicitly represented, consistent with the intention to create an 

upper-bound test case.

2.3 Description of Scenarios

In order to analyze the potential impact of increased demand from the electric power sector, this report 

examines three scenarios: a “Reference Case” with no national carbon policy, an “Intermediate Demand 

Case” with an illustrative national carbon policy applied to the electric power sector, and a “High 

Demand Case” with an illustrative national carbon policy applied to the electric power sector and 

accelerated coal-fired power plant retirements. The cases are described in Figure 3.

 

23 Planned projects include projects that have been publicly announced, projects that have applied for or have received FERC 

approval, and projects that are under construction.

24 Total U.S. natural gas underground storage capacity grew at an average annual rate of 1.2% from 2008 to 2013. See: U.S. 

Energy Information Administration, “U.S. Total Underground Natural Gas Storage Capacity,” September 30, 2014, accessed 

October 9, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n5290us2a.htm.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 11

Case Name Case Description

1. Reference Case Reference Case with no national carbon policy

2. Intermediate Demand Case Nationally uniform carbon policy (illustrative) applied to the 

Reference Case

3. High Demand Case Nationally uniform carbon policy (illustrative) applied to the 

Reference Case, with accelerated coal-fired power plant 

retirements

Figure 3: Cases Analyzed

The Reference Case does not include an illustrative national carbon policy, but it does include existing

state renewable energy portfolio standards as well as regional greenhouse gas emissions policies, such 

as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and the California 

Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32).25 In the Reference Case, approximately 25 gigawatts (GW) of coal 

capacity are retired after 2014. These retirements have been publicly announced and are imposed 

exogenously in the model.

In the increased demand cases, an illustrative carbon policy was applied nationally beginning in the year 

2020 at a price of about $32 (2012$) per metric ton of CO2, increasing at a rate of 5% per year in real 

terms. This pathway matches EIA’s AEO 2014 $25 Carbon Price side case from 2020 onwards. This 

illustrative national carbon policy is not intended to represent any actual or proposed policy, but instead 

is used as a means to drive growth in electric power sector natural gas demand, and consequently in 

natural gas infrastructure.

In the Intermediate Demand Case, coal-fired power plant retirements are assumed to follow the 

trajectory in the Reference Case. In other words, no additional retirements beyond those already 

announced occur. However, in such a policy scenario, coal-fired power plants for which no 

announcements have been made to date could in fact retire prior to 2030, which in turn would require

additional generation from other sources, including natural gas.

To analyze this, a High Demand Case was also modeled. In this case, all coal-fired power plants that 

lacked scrubber-type emissions controls as of the first quarter of 2014 are assumed to retire in 2017. 

This assumption results in an incremental reduction of 104 GW of coal-fired capacity beyond the 25 GW 

of capacity that retires in the Reference and Intermediate Demand Cases. Just as some units that have 

not yet publicly announced a decision to retire may in fact eventually retire, it is likely that some 

uncontrolled units will be economic to retrofit and will continue to operate after 2017.

This analysis focuses specifically on the sensitivity of the interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure to

varying levels of electric power sector natural gas demand. Additional scenarios would be needed to 

characterize a broader range of possible natural gas futures. For example, future work might consider 

alternative natural gas supply assumptions (such as the size of the natural gas resource base or the rate 

of technology advances that affect drilling cost and/or drilling productivity) that could result in natural 

 

25 Existing federal production tax credits and investment tax credits for renewable energy sources are assumed to be expired in 

all of the cases considered in this analysis.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 12 U.S. Department of Energy

gas supply that is higher or lower than Reference Case levels. Similarly, future work might consider

scenarios in which energy efficiency or conservation is significantly deployed to meet end-user demand, 

or scenarios with alternative assumptions about future industrial or transportation natural gas demand. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 13

3. Model Results

3.1 Natural Gas Demand

In the Reference Case, total U.S. natural gas demand is projected to grow steadily and reach about 76

Bcf/d by 2030, an 18% increase from 2015 levels.

26 Reference Case demand in 2030 is close to EIA’s AEO 

2014 Reference Case level of approximately 80 Bcf/d.

27 Figure 4 shows natural gas demand by sector in 

the Reference Case.

Figure 4: Reference Case Total U.S. Natural Gas Demand by Sector, 2015 to 2030

One of the implications of increased natural gas production from shale formations is that the United 

States is now an attractive source of LNG for global buyers. The Reference Case projects about 5.1 Bcf/d 

of U.S. LNG exports by 2020.

28 The volume of U.S. LNG exports in the model is determined by Deloitte

MarketPoint’s World Gas Model, which computes the competitiveness of U.S. LNG exports in global 

markets based on projections of the domestic price of natural gas, the cost of building LNG liquefaction 

terminals, the cost of transportation and liquefaction, and the price and demand for natural gas in 

foreign markets.29 Given these conditions, the model determines whether the capital investment would 

be recovered. The model’s estimate of LNG export volumes is based purely on underlying economics

 

26 The model output presented in Figure 4 does not include natural gas used at the production site, volumes used in processing, 

pipeline use and losses, or natural gas exports. 

27 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Table 13. Natural Gas Supply, Disposition, and Prices,” Annual Energy Outlook 2014,

May 7, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/excel/aeotab_13.xlsx.

28 For comparison, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2014 projects 5.7 Bcf/d of LNG exports 

by 2020. See: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Table 134. Natural Gas Imports and Exports,” Annual Energy Outlook 

2014, May 7, 2014, accessed September 29, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/supplement/suptab_134.xlsx. 

29 For more details on the Deloitte MarketPoint World Gas Model, see: Deloitte MarketPoint, Deloitte MarketPoint, 

http://www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomUnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_er_marketpoint_marketbuilder011411.PDF.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 14 U.S. Department of Energy

and does not capture purchase decisions of LNG consumers who are willing to pay above market prices 

in order to diversify their LNG acquisition portfolios.

30

In general, under an illustrative national carbon policy, a shift away from more carbon-intensive 

generation such as coal to lower-carbon generation such as natural gas and to zero-carbon options such 

as nuclear, renewables, and energy efficiency would be expected. Because this study examines the 

impacts of an illustrative national carbon policy on the natural gas pipeline system, this section will focus 

on the impact of these two scenarios on electric power sector natural gas demand. See Appendix B. 

Electric Power Sector Results for additional electric power sector results.

Figure 5 compares electric power sector natural gas demand across the cases. In the Intermediate 

Demand Case, electric power sector natural gas demand increases by about 7.5 Bcf/d (about 25%) in 

2030 relative to the Reference Case. In the High Demand Case, electric power sector natural gas demand 

increases by about 14 Bcf/d (about 46%) in 2030 relative to the Reference Case.31

Figure 5: Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand across the Cases, 2015 to 2030

Figure 6 shows electric power sector natural gas demand by region in the Reference Case (for a 

description of regions, see Appendix A.1 Map of Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Regions).

 

30 In order to test the sensitivity to alternative assumptions about U.S. LNG export volumes, an additional case was run with

approximately 10 Bcf/d of LNG exports by 2022. The pipeline capacity additions projected in this case are not significantly 

different from those projected in the Reference Case.

31 These increases are equivalent to 10% and 18%, respectively, of total natural gas demand in 2030 in the Reference Case. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 15

Figure 6: Reference Case Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand by Region, 2015 to 2030

The incremental change in electric power sector natural gas demand between the Intermediate Demand 

Case and the Reference Case is shown in Figure 7. Positive values are increases relative to the Reference 

Case, while negative values are decreases. The electric power sector natural gas demand results are 

consistent with the electric power sector generation results presented in Appendix B. Electric Power

Sector Results. Nearly all regions see an increase in electric power sector natural gas demand once the

illustrative national carbon policy is applied in 2020, as natural gas-fired generation replaces generation 

from coal-fired units. However, regions in which coal-fired generation is replaced with a greater amount 

of renewable power, such as MRO and SPP, do not demand as much incremental natural gas as other 

regions.

Figure 7: Intermediate Demand Case Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Relative to the Reference Case, 2015 to 2030
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 16 U.S. Department of Energy

Figure 8 shows the change in electric power sector natural gas demand in the High Demand Case 

relative to the Reference Case. In this modeling framework, the greater number of coal plant 

retirements assumed in this scenario results in greater natural gas-fired generation and, in turn, greater

natural gas demand in the electric power sector. This increase in natural gas demand also begins earlier, 

reflecting the assumption about the timing of coal-fired power plant retirements.

In the WECC (excluding CA) region, power sector natural gas demand declines in the Intermediate 

Demand Case (Figure 7) but increases in the High Demand Case (Figure 8) relative to the Reference Case. 

In the Reference Case, WECC (excluding CA) exports electricity to California. However, the application of 

the illustrative national carbon policy in the Intermediate Demand Case increases the costs to operate 

fossil generation in the WECC (excluding CA) region. In light of these higher costs, the WECC (excluding

CA) region exports less electricity to California, and fossil generation—and, in turn, power sector natural 

gas demand—in the WECC (excluding CA) region declines relative to the Reference Case (Figure 7). 

Natural gas power generation increases in California to replace decreasing imports of power from the 

WECC (excluding CA) region. The greater number of coal-fired power plant retirements assumed in the 

High Demand Case requires replacement energy to be made up by natural gas-fired generation in the 

WECC (excluding CA) region. This effect works in the opposite direction as the prior one, resulting in 

greater WECC (excluding CA) power sector natural gas demand in the High Demand Case relative to the 

Reference Case (Figure 8).

Figure 8: High Demand Case Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Relative to the Reference Case, 2015 to 2030
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 17

3.2 Natural Gas Supply

Growing demand for natural gas leads to a significant increase in the supply of natural gas. In the 

Reference Case, total natural gas production is projected to grow by 37% from 2015 to 2030, increasing 

from approximately 71 Bcf/d in 2015 to nearly 98 Bcf/d in 2030 (Figure 9).32 Reference Case natural gas 

supply in 2030 is comparable to EIA’s AEO 2014 Reference Case level of approximately 94 Bcf/d.33 The 

Reference Case projection also shows a continued increase in shale gas production over the projection 

period. With the most significant contribution coming from the Marcellus basin, total U.S. shale gas

production is projected to reach about 70 Bcf/d by 2030 and to become the dominant source of U.S.

natural gas supply (for a description of the production regions, see Appendix A.2 Map of Lower 48 States 

Shale Plays). 

Figure 9: Reference Case Natural Gas Production by Production Region, 2015 to 2030

In response to the increased use of natural gas for power generation in the Intermediate and High 

Demand Cases, U.S. natural gas production is projected to increase by 6%–10% over Reference Case 

levels in 2030. The majority of production is projected to come from shale gas basins, as shown in Figure 

10. The remainder, totaling 38% of total natural gas supply in both the Intermediate Demand Case and 

the High Demand Case, includes conventional natural gas, offshore natural gas, associated gas, coalbed 

methane, and tight gas.

34 Just as in the Reference Case, shale gas production in the Intermediate 

Demand Case is spread across multiple regions. While the volumes of natural gas supplied are larger in 

the High Demand Case, the geographic distribution of that supply is similar.

 

32 In any given year, natural gas production is greater than natural gas demand plus net exports because of fuel used or lost in

all stages of natural gas production, transmission, distribution, and storage.

33 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Table 13. Natural Gas Supply, Disposition, and Prices,” Annual Energy Outlook 2014, 

May 7, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/excel/aeotab_13.xlsx. 

34 “Tight gas” is natural gas found in low-permeability sandstones and carbonate reservoirs. The rock layers that hold the 

natural gas are very dense, preventing easy flow of natural gas.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 18 U.S. Department of Energy

Figure 10: Share of Total Natural Gas Production from Different Production Basins across the Cases, 2015 to 2030

Interestingly, while the Marcellus region is the largest source of shale gas production in the Reference 

Case, it is not the largest incremental source, relative to the Reference Case, of projected future natural 

gas production in the Intermediate and High Demand Cases. Instead, the largest source of incremental 

shale gas production in these cases is the Haynesville basin, which is situated in East Texas and 

Northwest Louisiana. This result follows from the underlying resource economics of the shale plays 

represented in the model. As the lowest-cost Marcellus resources are depleted over the course of the 

Reference Case projection, only higher-cost Marcellus supplies remain available for incremental 

production in the increased demand cases. Incremental Marcellus production is also likely to require 

additional infrastructure to bring production to market, diminishing the attractiveness of Marcellus 

production relative to other basins. In addition, the Haynesville is well positioned to supply natural gas 

to southern electricity markets, which account for a significant share of the increase in demand from the 

U.S. electric power sector in the Intermediate and High Demand Cases (Figure 7 and Figure 8).

3.3 Natural Gas Prices

The United States is estimated to hold about 2,400 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of technically recoverable 

natural gas in shale formations, equivalent to approximately 100 years of supply at present levels of 

demand.35 The large shale gas resource potential has effectively made the long-run natural gas supply 

curve more elastic, and as a result, long-run natural gas demand changes are less likely to result in major 

price impacts.

 

35 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources: An Assessment of 137 

Shale Formations in 41 Countries Outside the United States,” June 13, 2013, accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/analysis/studies/worldshalegas/.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 19

In the Reference Case, U.S. natural gas prices are among the lowest compared to other industrialized 

countries throughout the forecast period. Figure 11 shows historical prices through 2010 as well as the 

projected price at Henry Hub in the Reference Case.

36 Advancements in the technology used to produce 

natural gas from shale formations, coupled with the global recession, caused natural gas prices to fall 

sharply from 2009 to 2012. In the Reference Case, natural gas prices slowly rebound and rise throughout 

the projection period at levels that are sufficient to incentivize production from marginal sources of 

natural gas supply. Henry Hub natural gas prices in the Reference Case are similar to prices in EIA’s AEO 

2014 Reference Case. In 2030, Reference Case Henry Hub prices are projected to be $6.16/million British 

thermal units (MMBtu), while EIA’s AEO 2014 Reference Case prices are projected to be $6.03/MMBtu.37

Figure 11: Historical and Projected Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices in the Reference Case, 2000 to 203038

 

36 The projection begins in 2011 in order to calibrate the model.

37 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Figure MT-40: Annual average Henry Hub spot natural gas prices in the Reference 

case, 1990–2040,” Annual Energy Outlook 2014, May 7, 2014, accessed September 25, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/excel/figmt40_data.xls.

38 Source for historical Henry Hub prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Henry Hub Natural Gas Spot Price,” 

September 17, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdA.htm.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 20 U.S. Department of Energy

Figure 12 shows average prices from 2015 to 2030 across the cases for selected major regional natural 

gas markets and hubs. In the Intermediate Demand Case, growing demand for natural gas results in an

average increase in Henry Hub prices of $0.19/MMBtu (or about 4%) from 2015 to 2030 relative to the 

Reference Case. In the High Demand Case, the average increase in Henry Hub prices is about 

$0.53/MMBtu (or about 10%) from 2015 to 2030 relative to the Reference Case. The largest price 

impact in these cases is in Massachusetts, which is far downstream in regional pipeline flows.

Figure 12: Average Natural Gas Prices by Location across the Cases, 2015 to 2030

3.4 Natural Gas Transmission

Reference Case

In the Reference Case, the combination of a geographic shift in regional natural gas production—largely 

due to the expanded development of natural gas from shale formations—and growth in natural gas 

demand is projected to require more interstate natural gas pipeline capacity. 

Figure 13 shows the historical and planned capacity additions from 1996 to 2016, along with the 

projected pipeline capacity additions between 2015 and 2030 in the Reference Case. Pipeline capacity 

additions in the Reference Case are projected to be 38 Bcf/d between 2015 and 2030. In comparison, 

between 1998 and 2013, nearly 127 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity was added in the United States.

Continued integration of shale gas production from the Marcellus basin, which is the largest producing 

basin in the Reference Case projection, is a key driver of future pipeline capacity additions in the 

Reference Case. Shale gas produced from the Marcellus is both lower in cost and situated geographically 

closer to end-user demand in the eastern United States. As a result, more than half of the 38 Bcf/d of 

interstate pipeline capacity additions in the Reference Case are associated with further integrating 

Marcellus natural gas production into U.S. natural gas markets.

Even with the significance of the Marcellus, projected natural gas production and demand are geographically

diverse, so the need for additional interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure is lower than would be 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 21

expected if the increased production or demand were concentrated in a particular region. Furthermore, 

pipeline capacity additions that were placed in service between 2007 and the present in order to realign 

the U.S. natural gas transmission system with changing supply and demand conditions driven by increases 

in shale gas production are projected to reduce the need for future pipeline infrastructure.

Figure 13: Historical, Planned, and Projected U.S. Interstate Pipeline Capacity Additions, 1996 to 203039

 

39 Source for historical and planned additions: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Natural Gas Pipeline Projects from 1996

to Present,” July 7, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/pipelines/EIANaturalGasPipelineProjects.xls. The Deloitte MarketPoint projection for years 2015 through 2018 includes both planned and 

economic expansion.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 22 U.S. Department of Energy

Another reason that pipeline capacity additions in the Reference Case are not greater is that, in many 

regions, existing pipeline capacity is not fully utilized during many parts of the year. Average capacity 

utilization between 1998 and 2013 was 54%.

40 For comparison, projected pipeline utilization for the top 

200 pipeline segments by projected flow volume in the Reference Case in 2030 is 57%.41 Given the cost 

of building new pipelines, finding alternative routes utilizing available capacity on existing pipelines is 

often less costly than expanding pipeline capacity.42 This response is more likely when incremental 

natural gas demand does not strongly coincide with peak natural gas demand, which is true in the 

Reference Case, because the incremental demand is largely driven by increases in base load natural gas 

generation in the electric power sector. 

Figure 14 shows the regional distribution of projected pipeline capacity additions between 2015 and

2030 (for more detail on the regions, see Appendix A.3 Map of Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Regions). 

In the Marcellus, growth in natural gas production is projected to require additional expansion of 

pipeline takeaway capacity from the region. In total, an estimated 8.4 Bcf/d of additional pipeline 

capacity will be needed to integrate Marcellus production with regional markets and interstate pipelines

(shown as “Within Marcellus” in Figure 14). Growing Marcellus natural gas production is projected to 

dominate the Mid-Atlantic natural gas market. Not only will natural gas from the Marcellus displace

flows from other regions, but it will also be exported to other parts of the country. A portion of the

growth in Marcellus natural gas production is projected to serve northeastern markets and will require 

3.2 Bcf/d of incremental pipeline capacity (shown as “Mid-Atlantic to North” in Figure 14).

43

 

40 Calculation based on data from the following sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “U.S. State-to-State capacity,” 

January 16, 2014, accessed November 13, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/pipelines/EIA-StatetoStateCapacity.xls; U.S. 

Energy Information Administration, “International & Interstate Movements of Natural Gas by State,” October 31, 2014, 

accessed November 13, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_move_ist_a2dcu_nus_a.htm.

41 This value represents annual average utilization for the top 200 segments in the model. Projected pipeline utilization in any

given region or at any given time may be higher or lower than the average values reported here, depending on seasonal 

patterns of natural gas demand and regional natural gas system characteristics. In addition, annual pipeline utilization will be 

well below 100% for most pipelines because of the seasonality of natural gas flows. A pipeline might operate near full capacity 

during peak seasons but will operate at much lower levels during off-peak seasons.

42 As discussed in Section 1.3 Economics of Natural Gas Transmission, pipeline expansions are driven by basis differential, which 

means that new pipelines may be constructed even when existing capacity is available to perform the same transportation 

service, provided that the anticipated revenue can justify the investment and operating costs. 

43 The construction of a planned 1.7 Bcf/d expansion to the Transco Pipeline, which will serve markets in the Northeast, is 

exogenously specified to be in service in 2018 in the model.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 23

Figure 14: Projected Interstate Pipeline Capacity Additions in the Reference Case, 2015 to 2030

Growth in the Marcellus and in the Utica is also projected to reverse flows that historically have come 

from west and south of the region. In the Reference Case, the model projects 4.4 Bcf/d will reverse flow 

from Ohio to Indiana (included within the total for “Mid-Atlantic to West” in Figure 14). Other 

expansions are projected to increase flows from Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Ohio, bringing total 

Mid-Atlantic to West expansion to 7.6 Bcf/d. Flow reversal is also projected southward out of the 

Marcellus to serve markets in the Southeast. Pipelines that currently bring natural gas from the Gulf 

region to the north are projected to reverse flow so that Marcellus production can serve the Virginia and 

Carolinas markets (included within the total for “Mid-Atlantic to South” in Figure 14). As a result of the

projected expansions, Virginia is almost completely served by Marcellus production. However, pipeline

reversals do not go any farther south beyond the Carolinas because Gulf production is able to maintain 

hold of southern markets. 

In addition, Midcontinent, Rockies, and Gulf production, which is largely displaced from eastern markets, is 

increasingly transported to the Midwest and is projected to require 3.6 Bcf/d of capacity (shown as 

“Midcontinent, Rockies, and Gulf to Midwest” in Figure 14). The greater quantity of natural gas from the 

Midcontinent, Rockies, and Gulf region, as well as from the Marcellus and Utica, that serves midwestern 

markets, in turn, leads to a greater amount of natural gas that is available for export to Canada. As a 

result, export pipelines from the Midwest to Canada are projected to expand by 2.2 Bcf/d (shown as 

“Exports to Canada” in Figure 14).44 Finally, as production increases in the San Juan and Permian basins, 

 

44 The model assumes Canadian natural gas demand will grow to 5.5 Tcf (approximately 15 Bcf/d) by 2030, compared to 4.3 Tcf 

(about 12 Bcf/d) as estimated in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s International Energy Outlook 2013 for the same 

period. Deloitte MarketPoint’s Canadian demand projections are in line with estimates from the Canadian National Energy 

Board. See: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Table A6. World natural gas consumption by region, Reference case, 2009-

2040,” International Energy Outlook 2013, July 25, 2013, accessed September 24, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/archive/ieo13/excel/ieotab_6.xls; Canadian National Energy Board, “Energy Demand: Reference 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 24 U.S. Department of Energy

more pipeline capacity is projected to be added to allow natural gas produced in the Rockies and in the 

Permian basin to increase its share of California and western markets (shown as “San Juan/Permian to 

West” in Figure 14).

Intermediate and High Demand Cases

In the Intermediate Demand Case, electric power sector natural gas demand increases by 7.5 Bcf/d in

2030 compared to the Reference Case. This is a 25% increase relative to Reference Case electric power 

sector natural gas demand and a 10% increase relative to total Reference Case natural gas demand. The 

impact on natural gas production is lower, at 6.1 Bcf/d (6%) over Reference Case levels in 2030. Higher 

U.S. natural gas demand results in lower U.S. pipeline exports to Canada, which in turn reduces the need 

for additional U.S. natural gas production.45 Moreover, only a relatively modest 1.4 Bcf/d (about 4% of 

the total Reference Case capacity additions of 38 Bcf/d) of additional pipeline capacity beyond 

Reference Case levels is projected to be built by 2030. As in the Reference Case, because incremental 

natural gas production and demand are broadly distributed, and because utilization of some existing 

pipelines can be increased, the need for additional natural gas infrastructure is reduced.

46

In the High Demand Case, electric power sector natural gas demand is projected to increase by about 14

Bcf/d over Reference Case levels in 2030. This is a 46% increase relative to Reference Case electric power 

sector natural gas demand and an 18% increase relative to total Reference Case natural gas demand. This 

increase in demand results in a 10 Bcf/d (10%) increase in U.S. natural gas production relative to the 

Reference Case in 2030. Just as in the Intermediate Demand Case, reductions in natural gas pipeline 

exports account for the difference between natural gas production and demand. With the increase in 

natural gas demand in the High Demand Case, an incremental 3.9 Bcf/d (approximately 10% of the total 

Reference Case capacity additions of 38 Bcf/d) of additional pipeline capacity above Reference Case levels

is projected to be built by 2030. Just as in the Reference and Intermediate Demand Cases, the wide 

geographic distribution of both natural gas production and demand and the ability to increase utilization of 

some existing pipelines reduce the need for additional interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure.

Projected pipeline utilization for the top 200 pipeline segments by projected flow volume in the model in 

2030 rises to 60% in the Intermediate Demand Case and 61% in the High Demand Case, compared to 57% 

in the Reference Case.

Finally, to further understand the reasons for the modest incremental infrastructure needs in the 

Intermediate and High Demand Cases, it is necessary to consider the incremental sources of supply in 

 

Case – Canada,” Canada's Energy Future 2013: Supply and Demand Projections to 2035, November 11, 2013, accessed 

September 24, 2014, http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/nrg/ntgrtd/ftr/2013/ppndcs/pxndsdmnd-eng.html.

45 In the Intermediate and High Demand Cases, U.S. LNG export levels are unchanged from the Reference Case level of 5.1 

Bcf/d. In order to test the sensitivity to alternative assumptions about U.S. LNG export volumes, an additional case was run that 

coupled the High Demand Case assumptions with approximately 10 Bcf/d of LNG exports by 2022. The total pipeline capacity 

additions projected in this case are not significantly different from those projected in the High Demand Case. 

46 Just as in the Reference Case, incremental demand in the increased demand cases largely follows from increases in natural 

gas-fired electric power generation primarily designed to serve base load electricity demand. As a result, incremental natural 

gas demand in these cases is relatively uniform over the course of a year, compared to total natural gas demand in the 

Reference Case, which exhibits a stronger seasonal pattern. It is easier to accommodate this relatively uniform incremental 

natural gas demand on existing pipelines than it would be to accommodate demand that coincided more strongly with peak 

demand.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 25

these cases relative to the Reference Case. As discussed previously, while the Marcellus is the largest 

source of shale gas production in the Reference Case, driving more than half of the total pipeline 

capacity additions in the Reference Case, the Haynesville basin is the largest source of incremental shale 

gas supply in the Intermediate and High Demand Cases, relative to the Reference Case. Compared to the 

Marcellus, increased production of shale gas in the Haynesville basin requires little or no additional 

interstate pipeline capacity in order to access markets, because the region has a history of natural gas 

production and is already well served by interstate natural gas pipelines. However, even if the 

incremental natural gas supply in the Intermediate or High Demand Cases were to come from another 

basin with a history of natural gas production, the additional infrastructure requirements would be 

unlikely to affect the conclusions about infrastructure needs relative to historical experience.

Figure 15, which compares the incremental regional pipeline capacity additions in the Intermediate and 

High Demand Cases to those in the Reference Case, demonstrates that the regional incremental capacity 

additions (and subtractions) are comparatively small, relative to the level of capacity additions in the 

Reference Case (shown in gray). However, there are some modest changes in regional capacity additions

between the cases.

Figure 15: Incremental Interstate Pipeline Capacity Additions in the Intermediate Demand (blue) and High Demand (red) 

Cases Compared to the Reference Case (gray), 2015 to 203047

In both increased demand cases, greater natural gas demand within the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern 

regions results in regionally produced natural gas remaining within the region or being sent to 

 

47 The gray bars are identical to Figure 14, which shows Reference Case pipeline capacity additions between 2015 and 2030. The 

blue and red bars show the incremental changes in additions relative to the Reference Case over the same period in the 

Intermediate Demand and High Demand Cases, respectively. Total additions in these cases over the period can therefore be 

found by summing the gray and blue and gray and red bars, respectively.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 26 U.S. Department of Energy

southeastern markets (shown as “Within Marcellus” and “Mid-Atlantic to South” in Figure 15). 

Furthermore, in both increased demand cases, the demand for natural gas in midwestern markets (and 

the resulting tendency to send natural gas westward) is lower than the demand in the Mid-Atlantic (and 

the resulting tendency to use such supplies within the region), so the 7.6 Bcf/d of projected capacity 

expansions in the Reference Case (shown as “Mid-Atlantic to West” in Figure 15) is reduced by 3.5 Bcf/d 

in the Intermediate Demand Case and by 2.9 Bcf/d in the High Demand Case. Given the increased 

demand for natural gas in the Southeast, the tendency to send natural gas northward to midwestern 

markets is lower than the tendency to use Gulf production in the Southeast, so fewer pipeline capacity 

expansions are projected into the Midwest from the Gulf in the Intermediate and High Demand Cases

than in the Reference Case (shown as “Midcontinent, Rockies, and Gulf to Midwest” in Figure 15).

In both increased demand cases, more pipeline capacity additions are projected relative to Reference 

Case levels within the West as well as westward from the San Juan and Permian basins to meet growing 

demand for natural gas in California and western markets (shown as “Within Western States” and “San 

Juan/Permian to West” in Figure 15). While there are not any coal-fired power plants to displace in 

California, natural gas demand increases because of reduced imports of electricity and the resulting 

higher utilization of in-state natural gas-fired power plants.

Finally, compared to the Reference Case, which projects 2.2 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity additions to 

support U.S. exports to Canada, the Intermediate Demand Case projects 0.5 Bcf/d fewer capacity 

additions, while the High Demand Case projects 1.0 Bcf/d fewer capacity additions (shown as “Exports 

to Canada” in Figure 15). These reductions in export volumes follow from the increasing demand for 

natural gas in the United States relative to Canada, driven by the growing demand from the U.S. electric 

power sector.

3.5 Expenditures on Natural Gas Transmission Infrastructure

The projected capital expenditures required to construct, expand, and modify interstate pipeline 

infrastructure described in the previous section are shown in Figure 16. Total capital expenditures on 

pipeline capacity expansion in the Reference Case are projected to be about $42 billion between 2015 

and 2030. In comparison, between 1998 and 2013, pipeline capacity expenditures totaled more than 

$63 billion.48 In the Intermediate Demand Case, the incremental capital expenditures are projected to be 

about $0.6 billion, 1.3% higher than the Reference Case, and in the High Demand Case, the incremental 

capital expenditures are projected to be about $2.8 billion, 6.5% higher than the Reference Case.

49

 

48 While projected costs are lower than historical costs (over a similar time period), the difference in expenditures is not as large 

as the difference in pipeline capacity additions between history and the model projection. The distance associated with the 

pipeline capacity additions in the model projection is comparable to (but lower than) the distance associated with historical

pipeline capacity additions. Because project costs reflect, in part, the distance associated with new pipelines, the projected 

expenditures are closer to (but still lower than) historical expenditures.

49 As noted previously, the model does not include the cost of expanding natural gas gathering and processing systems. As such, 

the projected capacity expansions are limited to the granularity of the pipeline system representation in the model. Because 

demand is mostly represented at the state level, intrastate pipeline capacity is only partially represented in the model.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 27

Figure 16: Historical, Planned, and Projected Capital Expenditures on U.S. Interstate Pipeline Capacity, 1996 to 203050

 

50 Source for historical and planned additions: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Natural Gas Pipeline Projects from 1996 

to Present,” July 7, 2014, accessed September 24, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/pipelines/EIANaturalGasPipelineProjects.xls. The Deloitte MarketPoint projection for years 2015 through 2018 includes both planned and 

economic expansion. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 28 U.S. Department of Energy

Figure 17: Projected Capital Expenditures on U.S. Interstate Pipeline Capacity in the Reference Case, 2015 to 2030

Projected regional pipeline capital expenditures are displayed in Figure 17. The largest interstate 

pipeline capital expenditures in the Reference Case are projected to be in the Marcellus to construct 

pipeline takeaway capacity. In the Intermediate and High Demand Cases (Figure 18), expenditures to 

expand Marcellus takeaway capacity and to transport natural gas southward increase relative to the 

Reference Case. Furthermore, in these cases, expenditures to transport Marcellus production westward 

and Midcontinent, Rockies, and Gulf production northward decline relative to the Reference Case, 

consistent with the changes in pipeline capacity additions between the cases (Figure 15). Finally, in both 

cases, expenditures to bring Rockies and southwestern natural gas into and around California increase

compared to Reference Case levels (shown as “Within Western States” and “San Juan/Permian to West” 

in Figure 18), also consistent with the changes in pipeline capacity additions between the cases.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 29

Figure 18: Incremental Projected Pipeline Capital Expenditures in the Intermediate Demand (blue) and High Demand (red) 

Cases Compared to the Reference Case (gray), 2015 to 203051

 

51 The gray bars are identical to Figure 17, which shows Reference Case pipeline capital expenditures between 2015 and 2030. 

The blue and red bars show the incremental changes in expenditures relative to the Reference Case over the same period in the

Intermediate Demand and High Demand Cases, respectively. Total expenditures in these cases over the period can therefore be 

found by summing the gray and blue and gray and red bars, respectively.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 31

4. Conclusion

This study concludes that, under scenarios in which natural gas demand from the electric power sector 

increases, the incremental increase in interstate natural gas pipeline expansion and associated 

investment is modest, relative to historical capacity additions. The projected rate of interstate pipeline 

capacity expansion in the scenarios considered in this analysis is lower than the rate of historical 

capacity additions over the past 15 years and is consistent with information currently available on 

planned capacity additions over the next 3 years. In the scenarios considered here, 38–42 Bcf/d of new 

and expanded interstate pipeline capacity is projected to be constructed between 2015 and 2030, 

compared to nearly 127 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity added in the United States between 1998 and 2013.

Similarly, capital expenditures on new interstate pipelines in the scenarios considered here are 

projected to be significantly less than the capital expenditures associated with infrastructure expansion 

over the last 15 years. The scenarios in this analysis project $42 billion to $45 billion in capital 

expenditures on new, expanded, and modified interstate pipeline capacity between 2015 and 2030, 

while pipeline capacity expenditures totaled more than $63 billion between 1998 and 2013.

The results of this study are consistent with a recent report prepared by ICF International for the 

Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) Foundation.52 Average annual expenditures on 

interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure range from $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion across the cases 

considered in this analysis between 2015 and 2030. The INGAA study, which utilizes a different set of

input assumptions and projection methodologies, projects annual expenditures that range between $2.7 

billion and $4.0 billion across the cases considered in its analysis.53

Two primary factors mitigate the need for additional interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure and 

related capital expenditures in these scenarios. First, the growth in both natural gas demand from 

electricity generation and natural gas production is broadly distributed rather than geographically 

concentrated, reducing potential interstate pipeline capacity constraints as well as the need for new 

interstate pipelines. Second, increasing utilization of capacity that is not fully utilized in existing 

interstate natural gas pipelines, re-routing natural gas flows, and expanding existing pipeline capacity

are potentially lower-cost alternatives to building new infrastructure and can accommodate a significant

increase in natural gas flows.54

While the conclusions about interstate pipeline additions and capital expenditures are likely to be robust 

to a range of alternative assumptions, additional research could further inform discussions about natural 

gas infrastructure needs and related natural gas system issues. Such research might consider

representation of shorter time intervals (such as peak days or peak hours), the role of seasonal and high-

 

52 Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Foundation, Inc., “North American Midstream Infrastructure through 2035:

Capitalizing on Our Energy Abundance,” March 17, 2014, accessed November 4, 2014, 

http://www.ingaa.org/Foundation/Foundation-Reports/2035Report.aspx. 

53 Ibid., p. 26.

54 As discussed in Section 1.3 Economics of Natural Gas Transmission, pipeline expansions are driven by basis differential, which 

means that new pipelines may be constructed even when existing capacity is available to perform the same transportation 

service, provided that the anticipated revenue can justify the investment and operating costs.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 32 U.S. Department of Energy

deliverability natural gas storage, and more granular regional and local segmentation of natural gas 

markets to pinpoint areas where future investment may be needed. In addition, a variety of other 

supply and demand cases might be considered, including cases that represent alternative industrial 

demand, transportation demand, or export futures, as well as alternative natural gas supply 

assumptions.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 33

Appendix A. Additional Figures

Appendix A.1 Map of Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Regions

Region

Abbreviation

Definition

FRCC Florida Reliability Coordinating Council

MRO Midwest Reliability Organization

NPCC Northeast Power Coordinating Council

RFC ReliabilityFirst Corporation

SERC SERC Reliability Corporation

SPP Southwest Power Pool

TRE Texas Reliability Entity

WECC Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Figure 19: Map of North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Regions55

 

55 North American Electric Reliability Corporation, “NERC Regions Map,” accessed October 22, 2014, 

http://www.nerc.com/AboutNERC/keyplayers/Documents/NERC_Interconnections_Color_072512.jpg.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 34 U.S. Department of Energy

Appendix A.2 Map of Lower 48 States Shale Plays

Model Region Producing Region

Non-Shale All conventional, associated, offshore, tight, and coalbed methane production

Eagle Ford Eagle Ford shale basin

Haynesville Haynesville shale basin

Marcellus Marcellus shale basin

Midcontinent Shales Fayetteville, Woodford, and Arkoma shale basins

Utica Utica shale basin

Other Shales Barnett, Permian, Niobrara, and all other shale basins

Figure 20: Map of Lower 48 States Shale Plays56

 

56 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Lower 48 states shale plays,” May 9, 2011, accessed October 22, 2014, 

http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shale_gas.pdf.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 35

Appendix A.3 Map of Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Regions

Figure 21: Map of Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Regions57

 

57 Regions that are not included in this figure are not projected to have pipeline capacity additions. Pipeline capacity additions 

from the Bakken region are not reported with the regional pipeline expansion results, because Bakken region wet natural gas 

production is represented in the model as natural gas liquids processing that is delivered to the Chicago market via the Alliance 

Pipeline. LNG exports are also not reported with the regional pipeline expansion results. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 37

Appendix B. Electric Power Sector Results

Figure 22 shows the projected generation by fuel in the Reference Case. In this case, the majority of 

electricity generation is supplied by coal- and natural gas-fired generation, along with generation from 

nuclear and renewable energy sources. Coal-fired generation decreases by 2% from 2015 to 2030, while 

natural gas-fired generation increases substantially, by approximately 33% over the same period. Nonhydro renewable generation grows by approximately 76% between 2015 and 2030, but the absolute 

increase is slightly less than half of the increase from natural gas-fired sources. 

Figure 22: Electric Sector Generation by Fuel in the Reference Case, 2015 to 203058

Regional natural gas-fired generation is shown in Figure 23. While the WECC (excluding CA) region is 

expected to experience the largest relative increase in natural gas-fired generation during the forecast 

period (a 106% increase and absolute growth of 112 terawatt-hours [TWh]), the Southeast (SERC and 

FRCC) is expected to see the largest absolute increase in natural gas-fired generation (a 31% increase 

and absolute growth of 137 TWh).59 Part of the increase in natural gas-fired generation in these regions 

stems from a decrease in coal-fired capacity; both WECC (excluding CA) and the Southeast (i.e., SERC 

and FRCC) have large coal-fired fleets with a significant number of announced retirements. 

 

58 The label “Imports” represents U.S. imports of electricity generated in Canada. 

59 For a map of the regions mentioned here, see Appendix A.1 Map of Electric Power Sector Natural Gas Demand Regions.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 38 U.S. Department of Energy

Figure 23: Natural Gas-Fired Generation by Region in the Reference Case, 2015 to 2030

Figure 24 shows the shift in generation in the Intermediate and High Demand Cases relative to the 

Reference Case. The dominant source of replacement generation for coal in both cases is natural gasfired generation. Non-hydro renewables make up the balance, with a small contribution from crossborder imports from Canada (shown as “Imports”).

In the High Demand Case, all coal-fired power plants that lacked scrubber-type emissions controls as of 

the first quarter of 2014 (the most recent data that were available prior to publication of this report) are 

assumed to retire in 2017. Consequently, the electric power sector responds in two steps: first, in 2017,

when the coal-fired capacity is retired, and then again in 2020, when the illustrative national carbon 

policy begins to affect dispatch. The reduction in coal-fired capacity assumed in the High Demand Case 

drives a larger shift from coal to natural gas, renewables, and imports. 
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

U.S. Department of Energy Page 39

Figure 24: Change in Generation in the Intermediate Demand and High Demand Cases 

Relative to the Reference Case, 2015 to 203060

 

60 The label “Imports” represents U.S. imports of electricity generated in Canada.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Implications of Increased Demand from the Electric Power Sector

Page 40 U.S. Department of Energy