Chesapeake’s Ohio Utica Drilling Program: Full Speed Ahead

An update on Chesapeake Energy’s Ohio drilling program: They just received approval for two more Utica Shale horizontal wells at sites in eastern Stark County, brining their total to 10 permits for Stark.

Chesapeake has drilled four of the 10 permitted wells in Stark, although none are yet in production.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources posted new permits for Chesapeake wells in Marlboro and Paris townships. The company now has permits for 10 wells in Stark County.

ODNR reports that drilling already has started for a Chesapeake well off Crowl Street SE and state Route 183 in Paris Township. The Marlboro Township permit is on the north side of Pontius Street NE, about one-half mile east of New Baltimore. The drilling pad was constructed several weeks ago.

So far ODNR has approved permits for 236 horizontal wells into the Utica formation. Companies have drilled 72 wells and 10 are now producing.

Chesapeake has 173 permits for horizontal wells. The list includes 76 permits in Carroll County, where seven wells are in production. Chesapeake has all 35 of the permits in Columbiana County.*

*CantonRep.com (May 31, 2012) – Two horizontal wells OK’d for Stark