Shale gas and tight oil are commercially produced in just four countries

The US shale oil and gas renaissance has created a manufacturing rebound that could produce even more jobs and stimulate further economy growth with the right conditions, the American Shale & Manufacturing Partnership said in a recent report.

An unparalleled technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions through carbon dioxide capture is being developed on a demonstration scale at Petrobras’ Shale Industrialization Facility (known as SIX) in Paraná, in partnership with the company’s Cenpes research center.

Wintershall Holding GMBH says natural gas production in Germany fell by about 6% in the past year, and controversy over shale gas and hydraulic fracturing is blocking conventional gas production.

Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), India’s biggest energy explorer, is banking on the world’s largest shale oil reserves to save its Russian acquisition. Stumbling blocks include oil prices at a five-year low and U.S. sanctions.

SHALE GAS IN EUROPE: WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S DOWN THERE

Oil's slide to the lowest price in more than five years is carving a divide between U.S. shale drillers who heavily hedged future production and those who didn't.

Global demand for OPEC crude in 2015 is expected to fall to the lowest level in more than a decade and far below current output, the group said on Wednesday, pointing to a hefty supply surplus without OPEC output cuts or a slowdown in the U.S. shale boom.

Plunging oil prices look set to trigger another wave of industry consolidation after a decade when mega-deals were scarce, but investors want to see mergers that can squeeze out cost savings and only after a lavish dividend is paid.

The recent confidence in shale gas was likely premature, according to several new reports published in the US. In particular a study from the University of Texas claims the US boom will tail off by 2020 and not keep going to 2040 as previous less thorough analyses have predicted.