Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH

OH Utica Production 4Q17: Ascent Tops in Gas, Eclipse Tops in Oil
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) has just issued production numbers for the fourth quarter of 2017. Production was up for both natural gas AND oil, as it was in the third quarter (see OH Utica Production 3Q17: Ascent Res. Dominates Top Producers). Utica natgas production saw a gigantic percentage increase–up 38% over the same period last year. Oil production was up a healthy 16% over the previous year’s 4Q. However, when looking at the full year, Ohio’s Utica oil production was lackluster in 2017–down 9% from 2016. Natgas production for all of 2017 was up 24% in 2017 compared to 2016. Which drillers dominated natural gas production, and which dominated oil production, in 4Q17? We have the answers…
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Belmont County | Jefferson County (OH) | Monroe County | Ohio

Top 3 Most-Drilled Counties in Ohio Utica for 2017
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

If you look at the number of Utica wells drilled in 2017, Belmont, Monroe and Jefferson counties were the top 3 counties in the state for new Utica wells drilled. However, if you dig a little further, you’ll find that two of those three counties saw more wells drilled in 2017 than in 2016, while one of them saw a 45% drop in new wells drilled in 2017–indicating that county has “fallen out of favor,” at least to some extent. Which is which? For that, you have click to continue reading…
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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Marcellus Production Shifting from NE to SW PA
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

Click image for larger version

Every now and again it’s good to step back and look at the macro shale trends in a given state. Pennsylvania is the largest shale gas producing state in the country (yes, even bigger than Texas), so it’s good to take stock of what’s happening in PA. The Pittsburgh Business Times has done some excellent analysis of gas production in PA. Their analysis shows that regionally, production of shale gas in PA over the past four years (2014-2017) has gone up in both regions. However, it’s gone up more/faster in southwestern PA than in northeastern PA. Why? More pipeline infrastructure is available or has come online in southwestern PA over that period, while northeastern PA remains pipeline starved…
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CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Statewide PA

Range, CNX Look for Alternatives to ME1 Pipe Following Shutdown
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

MDN reported yesterday that due to underground horizontal direction drilling (HDD) in Chester County, PA (near Philadelphia) for the Mariner East 2 (ME2) Pipeline project, a third sinkhole had developed (see PA PUC Shuts Down Mariner 1 Pipeline Due to Mariner 2 Sinkhole). ME2 is being built close to the existing Mariner East 1 (ME1) pipeline. The sinkhole exposed a portion of the ME1 pipeline to the open air. Not a good situation, which is why the state Public Utility Commission has temporarily shut down the propane and ethane flowing through ME1. The shutdown is for 10-14 days. Problem is, both Range Resources and CNX Gas pump propane and ethane through ME1. With the shutdown, both companies are “scrambling” to find alternative means to get their NGLs to market…
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Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Justice Does 180 – Says He’ll Sign Co-Tenancy Bill
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has done a complete 180 degree turn around with respect to signing a co-tenancy bill. As we previously reported, the co-tenancy bill was passed first by the House, and then the Senate (see WV Co-Tenancy Bill Passes in Senate – Now Waits for Gov to Sign). However, on the way to final passage, Justice wanted to link co-tenancy with joint development, which would allow drillers who own existing (old) leases on adjoining properties to pool them into a unit without signing new shale leases with the owners. He threatened to veto a co-tenancy bill if there is no joint development bill too (see WV Gov. Justice Kills Co-Tenancy Bill by Linking it to Joint Dev). Justice got a lot of blowback, from everyone, and soon after his shoot-from-lip comments, he backed off his threat to veto. Yesterday Justice said he will sign the co-tenancy bill, that there are a lot of “positive benefits” to the legislation. What a turnaround!…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

More on Yellow Smoke Coming from Gas-Fired Plant Near Scranton
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

We spoke too soon. In a story MDN published yesterday, we said that Big Green propagandist mouthpiece PBS StateImpact Pennsylvania was the only “news” outlet reporting on “yellow smoke” released as part of the commissioning process for the Lackawanna Energy Center, a Marcellus gas-fired electric plant being built near Scranton (see Gas-Fired Power Plant Near Scranton Nears Startup; Yellow Smoke). We said yesterday that not even the Democrat-controlled Scranton Times-Tribune found the “yellow smoke” report newsworthy. A day later, the Times-Tribune was shamed into releasing a story about it. Once again, the only people quoted as experiencing ill health effects following the “yellow smoke” are long-time local activists, people who oppose the project…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Pipelines | Statewide MD | TC Energy/TransCanada

Maryland Antis Oppose 13th Pipeline Under Potomac as “Dangerous”
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

Anti fossil fuel nutters have been on a holy mission to stop a 3.5-mile, 8″ pipeline from being installed under the Potomac River since last summer (see Mountaineer Pipeline Under Potomac Latest Focus of Anti Movement). To hear them talk, you’d think this is the first time a pipeline has been drilled under the Potomac River–that drilling and installing a pipeline under the Potomac will result in an environmental holocaust. However, TransCanada, via its Columbia Pipeline subsidiary, has already built and operates 12 other pipelines that go under the Potomac River–just in the State of Maryland! Yet the president of the Washington County (MD) Board of County Commissioners, Terry Baker, says “the dangers are high” and “real” if this, the 13th pipeline, gets installed. Why, Mr. Baker, are the dangers “high” and “real” now–but they weren’t high and real the 12 other times a pipeline was installed under the river?…
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Best of the Rest

Other Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Mar 9, 2018
March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

The “best of the rest”–stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading: How Philadelphia Energy Solutions bet on accessible American crude–and lost; Devon selling Barnett Shale assets for $553M; Shell & Blackstone bid on BHP Billiton’s shale assets; Shell spending more on oil than gas for next two years; yet, long-term, Shell gas production will triple oil production by 2050; DOE spends $12M on natural gas vehicle engine research; shale oil defeating its skeptics; Saudis ink LNG deal with Shell; and more!
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