The Top 10 Natural Gas Companies In The US Market

With the ongoing shale revolution promising true energy independence for the world's biggest energy consuming nation, Oil & Gas IQ assesses just who are the biggest players in the US natural gas market.

1. Exxon Mobil

By far the largest producer in the US market and one of the largest companies in the world, having been ranked either No.1 or No. 2 for the past 5 years. Exxon Mobil produces almost 50 percent more natural gas than its closest rival, Chesapeake Energy.

• Market Cap: 417.167 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $383.221 billion (2010)
• Employees: 83,600
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 3.9 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 8.9 billion barrels of oil, 78.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

2. Chesapeake Energy

Independent energy company, Chesapeake owns more than 45,000 wells in the US, of which around 85 per cent produce natural gas. Heavily leveraged into shale gas, Chesapeake has recently started to push LNG as automotive fuel.

• Market Cap: $21.78 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $9.4 billion (2010)
• Employees: 10,021
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 2.6 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 14.3 trillion cubic feet of gas equivalent

3. Anadarko

Formed in 1959 after the discovery of large amounts of naturaql gas in the Anadarko in Oklahoma, Anadarko is currently one of the biggest independent oil and gas producers in the US, with assets acrossSouth America, Africa, Asia and New Zealand.

• Market Cap: $35.83 billion (2011)
• Revenue :$10.984 billion (2010)
• Employees: 4,400
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 2.4 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 749 million barrels of oil and condensate, 8.1 trillion cubic feet of gas

4. Devon Energy

Based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Devon is one of the US's main players in processed natural gas liquids, with the great majority of its reserves coming out of the Barnett Shale fields of Texas.

• Market Cap: $28.16 billion(2011)
• Revenue: $9.9 billion (2010)
• Employees: 5,000+
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 2 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 681 million barrels of oil, 10.3 trillion cubic feet of gas

5. BP

The fourth-largest corporation in the world and the second largest energy company, more than 40 per cent of the companies holdings are in the US and 40 per cent of its reserves are in natural gas. The company posted a $3.3 billion loss last year after spending more than $41 billion to address the Macondo disaster.

• Market Cap: $119.29 billion(2011)
• Revenue: $308.9 billion (2010)
• Employees: 79,700
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.9 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 10.7 billion barrels of oil, 42.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

6. Encana

Encana is one of the largest independent gas companies in the world, with operations mostly in the western United States and Canada, where it is based. The company has focused almost exclusively on gas.

1. Market Cap: $18.82 billion (2011)
2. Revenue: $6.732 billion (2010)
3. Employees: 3,800
4. Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.8 billion cubic feet.
5. Worldwide Reserves, 2010: 13.8 trillion cubic feet of gas

7. ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips operates across six continents and is the fifth largest private sector energy corporation in the world. Currently in the midst of divesting into two companies - one up and one downstream - Conoco is investing in shale gas exploration in Poland.

• Market Cap: $93.32 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $198.655 billion (2010)
• Employees: 29,700
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.6 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 3.4 billion barrels of oil and natural gas liquids, 21.7 trillion cubic feet of gas

8. Southwestern Energy Co.

Southwestern is a Houston-based exploration and development company, focusing exclusively on natural gas. The great majority of the company's reserves are located in the Fayetteville Shale formation that underlying parts of Arkansas.

• Market Cap: $13.18 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $2.6 billion (2010)
• Employees: 1000-5000
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.3 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 1 million barrels of oil, 4.9 trillion cubic feet of gas.

9. Chevron Corporation

In 2011, California-based Chevron Corporation was the 16th largest public company in the world, and for the past five years, Fortune 500 has ranked it as one of America's five largest corporations. Engaged in all three streams of the energy business, more than 60 percent of the company's worldwide reserves are in oil and its chief gas production comes from overseas.

• Market Cap: $198.05 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $204.928 billion (2010)
• Employees: 62,000
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.3 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 6.5 billion barrels of oil and other liquids, 24.3 trillion cubic feet of gas

10. The Williams Companies

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Williams core business is natural gas exploration, production, processing, and transportation. Owning 13,900 miles of pipelines, Williams has holdings in many of the major shale basins across the country, including Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas.

• Market Cap: $15.89 billion (2011)
• Revenue: $12.352 billion (2010)
• Employees: 3,913
• Average Daily Natural Gas Production: 1.2 billion cubic feet.
• Worldwide Reserves: 4.3 trillion cubic feet equivalent