A report prepared by Advanced Resources International (ARI), has been released as part of a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report titled “World Shale Gas Resources: An Initial Assessment of 14 Regions Outside the United States”.

The report provides an initial assessment of shale oil resources and updates a prior assessment of shale gas resources issued in April 2011. It assesses 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the United States, expanding on the 69 shale formations within 32 countries considered in the prior report. The report states that worldwide shale oil and gas potential is huge. It also examines how shale gas has transformed energy in the United States, helping reverse declines in oil production and prompting a massive shift from coal to natural gas electricity production.

For a full copy of the report is available here.