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Course Level
Introduction
Delivery Method
Live Instructor-Led Virtual Course
Professional Development Credit Hours
10
Pre-requisites
There is no pre-requisite for this course.

Faculty

ALAN HERBST is a Principal with Utilis Advisory Group, a firm providing strategic advisory and consulting services to the energy sector. Mr. Herbst has over 25 years of energy experience. His specializations include analysis of market fundamentals, related energy infrastructure buildout, pricing mechanisms, commercial trading and risk management opportunities.

Mr. Herbst expertise covers oil, natural gas and power markets. In recent years, he has focused his efforts on unconventional upstream development (shale gas and tight oil), LNG, oil sands, nuclear power, distributed generation and related environmental and regulatory issues.

Accreditations

NASBA: Mennta Energy Solutions is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org

North American Natural Gas Physical & Financial Fundamentals (VIRTUAL) - NGPFV

Course Schedule

Date Time Location Price* Registration Deadline**
13-14 Apr 2026
Register 		10:00am-3:00pm (New York)
 Zoom: Americas
 USD 1,985 (NGPFV-VILTNA26-04)
 13 Mar 2026

*Prices do not include VAT, GST, or any other local taxes. All applicable taxes will be added to the invoice.
**Please register by the deadline to help us ensure sufficient attendance and avoid postponing the course.

Course Summary

North American Natural Gas Physical & Financial Fundamentals is a VIRTUAL instructor led course presented by the energy training experts at Mennta Energy Solutions. This natural gas course is designed to introduce delegates to the functionality of the natural gas industry, transportation, storage, trading and hedging. Discussion includes physical natural gas beginning with exploration and concluding with the delivery to the burner-tip.  It will provide an understanding of the role of pipelines in the natural gas industry and a broad insight to the dynamics that impact the economic decisions facing industry participants. It covers the physical aspects of commodity markets and natural gas as a commodity, discusses the influence of shale gas, defines trading and hedging, presents the main types of contracts for natural gas trading and hedging, defines and discusses natural gas volatility, and includes examples of primary types of natural gas trading.

This virtual solution is comprised of four live instructor-led sessions hosted on state-of-the-art training software with video, audio, chat, live polls, breakout sessions and much more!  The program will also include several self-study assignments to maximize the time with the instructor.

Includes Online Pre-study Module
This course is accompanied by a preparatory course available online. Delegates will receive an online voucher as part of their joining instructions upon confirmation of registration. By taking advantage of this "blended" learning approach, in-class time and learning are optimized.

Who Should Attend?

As this is an introductory course, all facets of an organization are likely to attend. The most likely to attend are: human resources, info systems, credit department, accountants, legal, quantitative analysts, consultants, programmers, trade support staff, secretarial, marketing/sales, risk managers.

Course Content

Overview of the Natural Gas Value Chain

Physical Natural Gas

  • Natural gas as a hydrocarbon
  • Measuring natural gas
  • Common trading quantities

The Shale Gas Revolution

  • New natural gas reserves
  • Horizontal drilling and fracking
  • The effect of shale natural gas on:
    • Production
    • Pipelines
    • Basis values
    • LNG exports

Natural Gas Supply & Reserves

Physical Natural Gas Monthly Supply Management

  • Base load vs. swing
  • Bid week and physical gas trading

Production of Natural Gas

  • Exploration and production
  • Gathering, processing and treating

Pipelines

  • Role of the transporter
  • Pipeline system components (transmission pipe, compression stations, valves, metering stations, control stations)
  • U.S. pipeline network
  • LNG terminals

Transportation Tariffs

  • What is a tariff?
  • The role of FERC
  • Regulated service offerings
  • Regulatory rate proceedings
  • Cost of service
  • Firm vs. interruptible service

Natural Gas Storage

  • Geologic structures
  • Uses of storage
  • Injections and withdrawals
  • Types of storage
  • Storage capacity and types by region
  • Storage inventory:  base gas vs. working gas
  • Storage capacity utilization
  • Storage fees
  • The EIA storage report

Natural Gas Markets - Hubs

Market Transportation Participants

  • Shippers
  • LDCs
  • Direct end users
  • Marketers

Nominations & Scheduling

  • Nomination terminology
  • Nomination process
  • Scheduling
  • Gas control
  • Imbalances

Natural Gas Deregulation

  • Pre-open access vs. open access
  • History of natural gas regulation
  • Federal and state regulation
  • Regulated market challenges:  interstate vs. intra-state price differences, and the take or pay crisis
  • The beginnings of Open Access:  key FERC orders
  • The emergence of the spot market
  • FERC order 636
  • How the market operates now

Trading, Hedging & Risk Management

  • What does “trading” mean?
  • What is hedging?
  • Definition of risk management
  • Risk management vs. hedging
  • The risk management process
  • Dealing with non-price risks such as credit, operational and cash flow
  • Hedging objectives and reasons for hedging
  • The mechanics of hedging
  • Physical vs. financial settlement

Market Instruments in Natural Gas

  • Physical and financial instruments
  • Index transactions
  • Forwards, futures and swaps
  • Natural Gas Exchanges
  • Futures margining and collateral
  • OTC clearing
  • Advantages and disadvantages of each instrument
  • Hedging with forwards, swaps, futures and options

Natural Gas Price Behavior & Volatility

  • Definition, measurement, and types of volatility
  • The distributional characteristics of natural gas prices
  • Volatility skews

Natural Gas Basis & Basis Swaps

  • Definition of basis, and basis quoting conventions
  • Basis statistical analysis
  • Basis swaps, basis swap quotes, payoffs and hedging examples

Trading Strategies: Optimization & Monetization of Transportation & Storage

Exercises

  • Learning objectives are reinforced by a series of group quiz questions spread throughout the course

Learn Energy
In the Classroom or Online

Contact
© Mennta Energy Solutions/Website by Hazel Digital Media
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