Once a potential natural gas deposit has been located by a team of exploration geologists and geophysicists, it is up to a team of drilling experts to actually dig down to where the natural gas is thought to exist. This section will describe the process of drilling for natural gas, both onshore and offshore. Although the process of digging deep into the Earth's crust to find deposits of natural gas that may or may not actually exist seems daunting, the industry has developed a number of innovations and techniques which both decrease the cost and increase the efficiency of drilling for natural gas. The advance of technology has also contributed greatly to the increased efficiency and success rate for drilling natural gas wells.

Source: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

The decision of whether or not to drill a well depends on a variety of factors, not the least of which are the economic characteristics of the potential natural gas reservoir. It costs a great deal of money for exploration and production companies to search and drill for natural gas, and there is always the inherent risk that no natural gas will be found. To learn more about the economic considerations that go along with natural gas drilling, click here.

The exact placement of the drill site depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of the potential formation to be drilled, the characteristics of the subsurface geology, and the depth and size of the target deposit. After the geophysical team identifies the optimal location for a well, it is necessary for the drilling company to ensure that they complete all the necessary steps to ensure that they can legally drill in that area. This usually involves securing permits for the drilling operations, establishment of a legal arrangement to allow the natural gas company to extract and sell the resources under a given area of land, and a design for gathering lines that will connect the well to the pipeline. There are a variety of potential owners of the land and mineral rights of a given area. To learn more about permitting, leasing, and royalties associated with the extraction of natural gas, click here.

If the new well, once drilled, does in fact come in contact with natural gas deposits, it is developed to allow for the extraction of this natural gas, and is termed a 'development' or 'productive' well. At this point, with the well drilled and hydrocarbons present, the well may be completed to facilitate its production of natural gas. However, if the exploration team was incorrect in its estimation of the existence of marketable quantity of natural gas at a wellsite, the well is termed a 'dry well', and production does not proceed. To jump ahead and learn about the production of natural gas, click here.

Onshore and offshore drilling present unique drilling environments, requiring special techniques and equipment. To learn more about the basics of onshore natural gas drilling, click here. To learn more about offshore drilling, click here.