Frac Sand: Does Size Really Matter?
Today, we introduce you to a new advertiser on Marcellus Drilling News: MS Industries. Below is a sponsored post from MS Industries. Such posts on MDN are extremely rare. We only accept sponsored posts if we believe the content is (a) very high quality and (b) directly relevant to MDN readers. This post on frac sand hits the bullseye. Among MDN’s audience are many who work for drillers (i.e., producers) and those who work for the oilfield services companies that work for those drillers. Believe it or not, frac sand is one of the keys, one of the closely-guarded secrets of drillers, that determines the success of their drilling programs. MS Industries, serving the Marcellus/Utica (and other plays), offers a range of high-grade frac sand, including whole grain silica microproppant. Matt Henry, one of the principals of MS Industries, writes about the role of microproppants in fracking. Click to learn more about the critical role of frac sand and why size *does* matter… Read More “Frac Sand: Does Size Really Matter?”
Last Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul went to The White House for a private one-on-one meeting with President Trump. Among the topics discussed was the Constitution Pipeline project (see 
National Fuel Gas Company (NFG), headquartered in Buffalo, NY, is the parent company for Marcellus/Utica driller Seneca Resources and the parent of midstream company NFG Midstream (and subsidiary Empire Pipeline). In November 2023, MDN first reported on NFG Midstream’s Tioga Pathway project, an estimated $90 million modernization and expansion project that will add 190,000 Dth per day (190 MMcf/d) of firm transportation takeaway capacity from northwest Tioga County, Pennsylvania (see 
The Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count did not gain or lose last week—staying even with 592 active rigs. As for the Marcellus/Utica, the rig count was a combined 35 last week. Rigs focused on the Marcellus were a combined 24 across the three M-U states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Rigs focused on the Utica were a combined 11. PA has operated 15 rigs (or more) for the past 18 weeks. OH has operated nine rigs for the past 15 weeks. WV had operated 10 rigs for an astonishing 23 weeks in a row. One month ago, WV added (and has kept) one additional rig and now operates 11 active rigs. 
We feel like it’s “peaker” day here at MDN. We have three stories that revolve around peaker gas-fired power plants. What is a peaker? It’s a gas-fired power plant that pops on and gets used only during the heaviest electric usage times, like really hot days in the summer and really cold days during the winter. “Baseload,” on the other hand, are gas plants that run constantly. LS Power, a huge power generation company that owns and operates some 50,000 megawatts (MW) of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, battery energy storage, and natural gas-fired facilities, announced on Friday a plan to add more than 700 MW of new electric generating capacity across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. The plan includes promoting (upgrading) two peakers, one in PA and one in OH, to become full-time baseload plants. More yummy Marcellus and Utica gas will be required to feed these plants. 
The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission operates the largest sewage treatment plant in New Jersey — in Newark. When Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, the sewer plant lost power and dumped BILLIONS of gallons of raw sewage into the Passaic River. The Commission plans to prevent that from happening again by building a tiny natural gas peaker plant to generate electricity. It would only be used to avoid such environmental damage again (i.e., rarely used, only for emergencies). Great news: The plant has been approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and now has (or soon will have) all the permits it needs to begin construction. 
J.P. Morgan recently issued its 15th annual Eye on the Market Energy Paper. It’s mysteriously titled Heliocentrism. Heliocentrism is the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets orbit the Sun, the center of the solar system, proposed by Copernicus in the 16th century. Heliocentrism replaced geocentrism, the earlier belief that Earth was the stationary center of the universe, with the Sun, planets, and stars revolving around it. You could be burned at the stake for not believing in geocentrism once upon a time. J.P. Morgan’s report uses the metaphor of heliocentrism. In the report, the “sun” is fossil fuel energy, and the planets that orbit it are renewable energy like solar and wind. Leftists believe the opposite. 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Energy a heated topic in PA budget debate; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Two New England energy companies in surprising alliance with fossil fuel lobby; Healey admin opposes gas pipelines in Massachusetts, voters feel otherwise; NATIONAL: Leaders cheer EPA announcement to revise WOTUS; Ex-Pioneer CEO says shale can’t thrive at $50 oil; Chevron advances plans to develop US data centers with power generation; Energy bosses shrug off DeepSeek to focus on powering AI boom; A new Beltway intrigue – follow the Biden EPA money; Coinbase seeks approval to launch natural gas futures contracts; INTERNATIONAL: EU countries draft plan to soften gas storage targets; Freeport LNG, EQT execs expect Europe to buy more U.S. LNG; Crude edges higher after seven weeks of declines.