The History of Natural Gas

Submitted by Consumers Gas … on Fri, 07/21/2017 - 9:00am

Many people throughout rural Ohio use natural gas in their homes and communities every day but may not know much about this wonderful resource’s history. In fact, you may not know that humans have actually been using natural gas as an energy source for close to 3000 years! One of the earliest recorded uses was by the Greeks around 800 B.C., when they built the Oracle of Delphi atop a flaming natural gas vent. This temple was built in honor of their god Apollo. According to Ohio History Central, the first production of gas in Ohio was in 1884 and it has continued to be an important energy source for the state and a significant contributor to the state’s economy ever since. Looking historically, the peak production year for gas wasn’t all that long ago in 1984. Washington County, Ohio, was once considered the most active county with 47 wells drilled in a single year, 1998. That same year more than 500 gas and oil wells were drilled throughout 40 Ohio counties. The future continues to look very bright for natural gas in Ohio as production continues to rise, even in defiance of national trends. According to the 2016 results of a government report issued this Spring, Ohio passed West Virginia to become the nation’s sixth-largest gas producer. Ohio also had the largest percentage increase of any of the top natural gas producing states last year.

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