US Shale Crescent Region Offers To Derisk India’s LPG Supplies
The Shale Crescent region sits atop the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations, which together account for 85 per cent of new natural gas supply
National Harbor (US): Three US states -- collectively called the Shale Crescent region -- with large natural gas reserves are seeking new investments from around the world, said a senior official from Shale Crescent USA.
“The Shale Crescent region consists of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is home to one of the world's largest natural gas reserves. It offers an excellent advantage to the investors,” said Greg Kozera, director (marketing), Shale Crescent USA, during the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit.
The Shale Crescent region sits atop the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations, which together account for 85 per cent of new natural gas supply.
Kozera, however, said the companies need to establish liquefaction plants to convert the national gas into liquefied natural gas for shipping abroad.
The natural gas price in the Shale Crescent region is priced at $3.21 MMBtu, compared to $1.50 - $2.50 in Qatar. However, in the wake of the Iran crisis, the total landed cost of one MMBtu of liquefied natural gas in India from the Shale Crescent region is expected to $10 to $11 compared to around $12 to $14 from West Asia.
According to data from the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), India needs 33.1 million metric tonnes (MMT) of LPG. Of this, nearly 40 per cent or 12.8 MMT is produced domestically. The rest of the 60 per cent or 20 million metric tonnes of LPG is imported from West Asia, which is reeling under the war.
As West Asia remains a volatile region geopolitically, experts believe that the diversification of natural gas procurement could provide strategic stability to India and protect Indian kitchens from the vagaries of any one region.
Since India is the second largest consumer of LPG after China, the government could seek long-term contracts with a fixed price. Though the landed price of the US gas would be more than that of West Asia, the average price of the overall LPG from different sources could be manageable for India, especially in view of the strategic autonomy that it offers to the world’s most populous country.