Shale boom to continue out to 2020

Low production costs will spur significant growth in North American shale gas production for the next decade, according to new research, feeding demand domestically and in higher-priced foreign markets.

Production from the main commercial shale gas plays in North America will grow to 24 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day by 2020, from 5 bcf per day in 2008, according to a report from research firm Ziff Energy Group. The growth will mainly be due to the cost of shale gas production, versus natural