Marcellus Drilling News

Belmont County | Chesapeake Energy | Diversified Energy | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Guernsey County | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | Lycoming County | Noble County | Ohio | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Susquehanna County | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County | Wetzel County

30 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 11 – 17
November 22, 2024November 22, 2024

For the week of Nov 11 – 17, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica were strong, with 30 new permits issued, down just slightly from the 34 issued the prior week (but way up from the piddly numbers issued in prior weeks). The Keystone State (PA) issued 16 new permits, with seven going to Range Resources, all in Washington County. Six permits went to EQT in Lycoming County. Two permits were issued to Olympus Energy in Westmoreland County. A single permit was issued to Chesapeake Energy (now Expand Energy) in Susquehanna County. Read More “30 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 11 – 17”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Hilcorp Energy | Industrywide Issues | Lawrence County | Mercer County | Pennsylvania | Regulation | XTO

2 Marcellus Drillers Clipped $5.3 Million for Clean Air Violations
November 22, 2024November 25, 2024

Yesterday, the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) announced settlements with two Pennsylvania shale drillers claiming violations of the federal Clean Air Act and the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act. The Bidenistas alleged that XTO Energy and Hilcorp Energy violated emissions limits at oil and gas production facilities in Butler County, Lawrence County, and Mercer County. XTO is on the hook to pay a $4 million fine, while Hilcorp must pay $1.275 million. In addition, XTO will be made to pay another $1.4 million to plug orphaned wells the company had nothing to do with orphaning. That passes as “justice” with the Bidenistas. Read More “2 Marcellus Drillers Clipped $5.3 Million for Clean Air Violations”
Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | TC Energy/TransCanada

TC Energy Experiments with sCO2 Clean Power at WV NatGas Compressor
November 22, 2024November 25, 2024

We spotted a press release that fascinates us but will take some explaining. Yesterday, Hanwha Power Systems Co. (headquartered in South Korea) announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with pipeline giant TC Energy to develop a sCO2 WHR (super-critical carbon dioxide waste heat recovery) project which will use the heat stream at a TC natural gas pipeline compressor station in West Virginia. Read More “TC Energy Experiments with sCO2 Clean Power at WV NatGas Compressor”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

Last Gasp: PA Enviro Groups Urge Biden to Keep Blocking LNG Exports
November 22, 2024November 25, 2024

One of the reasons Kamala Harris lost (and lost big) is complete tone deafness on energy issues, including the “pause” she and her boss put on approving new LNG export requests back in January (see White House Makes it Official – Biden Declares War on LNG Exports). Biden announced he would “pause” any approvals for new LNG export plants, with over a dozen requests in the pipeline, for at least one year while his people fart around pretending to figure out how to measure global warming as a new consideration for whether or not to approve projects. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm (can’t wait to see her gone!) said the “pause” would be over and done no later than January 2025. “Dozens” of so-called environmental groups and activists (leftist Democrats all) from Pennsylvania sent a letter to Granholm and Biden begging them to keep the LNG pause (ban) in place. Read More “Last Gasp: PA Enviro Groups Urge Biden to Keep Blocking LNG Exports”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Litigation

Bankruptcy Judge Tosses Freeport LNG Lawsuit Against 3 Contractors
November 22, 2024November 25, 2024

We’ve been tracking the up down up down up down situation at Freeport LNG (where some Marcellus/Utica molecules flow) since it came online in 2019. Freeport was mostly offline for the first half of this year following an episode of cold temps in January (see Freeport LNG Repairs Won’t be Done Until May – 2 Trains Offline). According to a Reuters story, Freeport experienced “roughly a dozen incidents” by early June. Since that time, things have thankfully improved. However, in June, Freeport and its insurers sued the three contractors that built the facility (see Freeport LNG Sues 3 Contractors for Ongoing Reliability Issues). A bankruptcy judge has just thrown out Freeport’s claims. They won’t get a dime from the contractors. Read More “Bankruptcy Judge Tosses Freeport LNG Lawsuit Against 3 Contractors”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Venture Global LNG May Be on Hook for $5.9B to Jilted Customers
November 22, 2024November 22, 2024

In August, we told you that most of Venture Global’s contracted customers for LNG from the company’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility in southwestern Louisiana’s Cameron Parish had filed for arbitration over Venture Global’s refusal to sell them cargoes under contract (see Shell, Edison, BP File for Arbitration Against Venture Global LNG). Instead, Venture Global is selling its cargoes on the open “spot” market at higher prices, violating its agreement with its customers. Venture has shipped (at last count) over 355 cargoes from Calcasieu Pass! Yet the company claims CP is still not “commercially ready.” It’s bullcrapus of the highest order. Now comes word from the arbitration hearings that Venture Global may be on the hook to pay its jilted customers $5.9 BILLION. That would be sweet justice. Read More “Venture Global LNG May Be on Hook for $5.9B to Jilted Customers”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

It’s Time for NYC Dems to Give Upstate NY Counties Right to Frack
November 22, 2024November 25, 2024

As we’ve pointed out a number of times this year, the New York legislature (both chambers controlled by radical Democrats) passed a ban on “CO2 fracking” (uses carbon dioxide instead of water) back in March of this year (see Radicals Win in NY – Senate Passes Permanent Ban on CO2 Fracking). Yet, as we told you just two weeks ago, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul has still not signed the bill into law (see 8 Mo. After NY Legislature Passed CO2 Frack Ban, Gov Has Not Signed). Time is quickly running out for her to sign it before the next session of the legislature convenes in January. At that point, the bill would have to be reintroduced and passed again. Is there a sliver of a chance she won’t sign it? Is there an even smaller sliver of a chance that Dems will reconsider their position and allow upstate counties to frack, given their shellacking not only nationally but here in Upstate, where Trump won almost every single county? Read More “It’s Time for NYC Dems to Give Upstate NY Counties Right to Frack”
Best of the Rest

Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Nov 22, 2024
November 22, 2024November 22, 2024

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Trump energy pick signals new direction in US policy, benefiting PA; Democrat Bob Casey concedes Pennsylvania Senate race to Dave McCormick; NATIONAL: SEC Chair Gary Gensler resigns, leaves legacy of division and crypto feuds; U.S. propane inventories well stocked heading into winter heating season; INTERNATIONAL: Miami financier is quietly trying to buy Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline; Climate talks teeter, with rich and poor countries in a tug of war; Macquarie strategists expect oil prices to test new lows in 2025. Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Nov 22, 2024”