Repsol Running 1 Rig, Experiments with Cluster Spacing in PA
Spanish-owed Repsol owns (at last check) around 214,000 net acres of leases in the Marcellus Shale, primarily located in northeastern Pennsylvania in Bradford, Susquehanna, and Tioga counties. Early last year (in January 2022), Repsol closed on a deal to buy Rockdale Marcellus out of bankruptcy for $222 million, adding Rockdale’s 66 producing wells on 42,897 net acres to Resol’s extensive Marcellus portfolio (see Sale of Rockdale PA Assets to Repsol Closes – $220M Cash, $2M Debt). Repsol’s planning and development manager, Jose Chirinos, spoke to Hart Energy editorial director, Jordan Blum, at the recent DUG Appalachia event in Pittsburgh. Chirinos discussed the company’s Marcellus drilling program.
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At the end of October, MDN told you about a company called 
A press release issued yesterday by UGI Corporation, a diversified energy company with midstream (pipeline) operations in the Marcellus and one of PA’s largest utility companies, opens this way: “UGI Corporation announced today that Mario Longhi, incoming Chair of the Board of Directors, has been named interim Chief Executive Officer. Roger Perreault has stepped down as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board, effective immediately.” What the press release doesn’t mention, but we discovered in a company filing with the SEC, is that “The Board treated Mr. Perreault’s departure from the Company as an involuntary termination other than a Termination for Cause.”
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council, based in Houston, TX, is the national trade association for the global energy technology and services sector. The Council reports jobs in the O&G sector increased in November, adding 1,286 jobs. The O&G industry employs 652,398 jobs across the country, just 54,130 jobs away from returning to pre-pandemic levels. And how much do those jobs pay? The average hourly earnings for frontline oil-and-gas workers rose 1.3% in October from the previous month to $44.11, according to a Labor Department report released last week.
Yesterday, the Republicans who sit on the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee got work done while the Democrats tried to block work. The committee advanced legislation to establish an Independent Energy Information Office by a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting. There was also a party-line vote advancing Paul Bruder, an environmental attorney nominated by Gov. Shapiro for the Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) after Democrats failed to table the nomination. That’s right, the Dems tried to block a Shapiro (one of their own) nominee!
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is reporting there are eight natural gas pipeline projects either currently under construction or in advanced planning, totaling 20 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of capacity to carry natural gas to LNG export facilities either up and running or planned for the Gulf Coast. Considering the country currently produces around 95 Bcf/d in total for all purposes, adding another 20 Bcf/d (nearly 20%) is huge!
According to powerhouse consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY), it’s been a successful 2023 for the oil and gas industry. In 2023, O&G continued to win back investors and position itself as a key player in the so-called energy transition. Looking ahead, 2024 will be full of opportunities and challenges as everyone looks to “decarbonize” and supposedly move away from fossil fuels. EY offers four trends to watch in O&G for 2024.
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: M&A deals in Permian basin exceeds $100 billion in 2023; NATIONAL: Natgas prices plummet amid high US production, warm weather; Deskless oil workers say they’re viewed as expendable; Extreme cold still poses reliability challenge for power generators; Supreme Court dismisses challenge to EPA ruling on GHGs; INTERNATIONAL: COP28 deal signals role for gas in clean energy transition; What does China and India know about coal that Biden and Dems don’t?