Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids
EQT has produced natural gas in Appalachia for over 120 years in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
Hydraulic fracturing is a technology used to extract natural gas trapped within subsurface rock formations. Natural gas producers have used this process for generations without any documented incidents of groundwater contamination. As a result of increased drilling activity in the Marcellus shale and elsewhere however, legitimate concerns have given rise to popular misconceptions about the potential for harm posed by this time-tested, historically safe technique.
EQT conducts hydraulic fracturing in accordance with state regulations using water recycled from previously fractured wells and obtained from freshwater sources. This water is mixed with sand and a small percentage (less than 0.3%) of chemicals.
The fracturing fluid is then injected under controlled high pressure into triple-cased wells designed to ensure that there will be no impact to drinking water. The pressure breaks open and expands the targeted rock formation and the sand holds the fractures open allowing natural gas to flow to the well head. The formations which are hydraulically fractured are on average more than 6,000 feet below any freshwater zone.
A summary of the chemicals used by the industry in this process, including their approximate quantities, are available for review on the website of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Additional information on the chemicals used is also available on material safety data sheets required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The purpose of this disclosure is to provide additional information regarding the chemicals used by EQT’s hydraulic fracturing process. Included at the link below are general mixture amounts used by the two service companies which hydraulically fracture wells for EQT. This information can also be found on FracFocus.org, an educational website created by a joint partnership of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. EQT was a voluntary charter participant in this hydraulic fracturing chemical registry website.
Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Compositions