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14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 14 – 20
For the week of Oct 14 – 20, there were 14 permits issued to drill Marcellus/Utica wells, up from 10 permits issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had just four new permits (down from six the previous week), with three going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Susquehanna County and one for Seneca Resources in Lycoming County. The Buckeye State (OH) had seven new permits, with six going to Encino Energy (EAP) for two pads in Carroll County. The other OH permit was for Ascent Resources in Harrison County. The Mountain State (WV) issued three new permits, with all three going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Marshall County. Read More “14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 14 – 20”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that U.S. natural gas production from shale and tight formations declined by about 1% from January through September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Most of the decline comes from two shale plays—the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas (down 12%) and the Utica Shale in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (down 10%). Although the EIA’s analysis (below) is excellent and instructive, it misses one important detail about the decrease in Utica Shale gas production. 
Yesterday, MDN reported on Range Resources’ third quarter update (see 
The Biden-Harris administration continues to spend money like drunken sailors. They can’t hand it out fast enough ahead of November 5th. We can’t even count how much has been doled out just this week—certainly several billion dollars. Some of the money flowing out of D.C. this week ($44 million) will go to a project that is part of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) to establish new carbon dioxide injection wells, one in Marshall County, WV, and one in Belmont County, OH. 
As we outline in a companion post today, the Biden-Harris Department of Energy is investing $44 million in a project to drill two carbon dioxide injection wells, one in West Virginia and the other in Ohio (see DOE Spends $44M on Drilling CO2 Injection Wells in WV & OH). Some companies are ready to dive into the CCS pool. Others in our region are also exploring the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) space but are proceeding a bit slower, dipping their toes first. Power plant and energy-trading giant Tenaska and Marcellus/Utica driller EQT are “cautiously moving ahead with plans to develop carbon storage projects in the region.” Both indicate it will take “years to develop” carbon injection wells. They both plan to have carbon wells operating in the next 5-10 years. 
Last week, MDN brought you a story about a developing issue of who, ultimately, should pay to build out new electricity sources for data centers (and AI) that increasingly use huge amounts of power (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Coterra moving/downsizing its Pittsburgh office; Pennsylvania to get $244M more for abandoned mine land cleanup; WATT Fuel Cell wins Technology Innovation Leadership Award; Blue Bird delivers first fleet of propane-powered buses to Philadelphia; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Exxon Mobil, Qatar get 3-year extension to build their LNG plant in Texas; NATIONAL: Patterson-UTI offers sobering outlook for natgas, drilling in 2025; BP Energy Partners announces growth investment in Novitech; Propane buses drive the future of student transportation; INTERNATIONAL: Globe on course for warming of up to 3.1C, warns UN; Oil drops amid supply glut fears.