Natural Gas in Virginia
- The majority of Virginia's natural gas is produced in the southwestern counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise, with over 50% coming from Buchanan County. Natural gas production in the state began in earnest in the 1950's and has steadily increased every year since then. Virginia ranked 18th in the nation in 2009 for overall gas production and 4th for coalbed methane production.
Virginia's gas production in 2010 was 147 billion cubic feet, which is equivalent to 26 million barrels of oil (enough fuel to power over 750,000 cars for one year)!
There are three main types of wells in Virginia:
Coalbed Methane (CBM) Wells
Conventional Wells
Horizontal Wells
Click here to view photos of Virginia's Natural Gas Industry