Marcellus Drilling News

Ascent Resources | Beaver County | Belmont County | Campbell Oil & Gas | Carroll County | CNX Resources | Energy Companies | EOG Resources | Gulfport Energy | Monongalia County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 27 – May 3
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received 19 new drilling permits last week, Apr. 27 – May 3, up from the 12 permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 5 of last week’s permits. Ohio issued the lion’s share, with 13 new permits (four of which were from two weeks ago). West Virginia issued just 1 new permit last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Ascent Resources, Campbell Oil & Gas, CNX Resources, EOG Resources, Gulfport Energy, and Range Resources. Read More “19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 27 – May 3”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Devon Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A

Devon and Coterra Complete Merger, Launches $8B Buyback Program
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

In February, MDN brought you the big news that Devon Energy is buying out and merging with Coterra Energy, paying $21.4 billion in Devon stock (see Devon Energy Buying Coterra Energy for $21.4B in All-Stock Merger). On Monday of this week, shareholders from both companies voted overwhelmingly to approve the merger, the last remaining hurdle (see Devon and Coterra Shareholders Approve Merger; Happening May 7). Yesterday, the deed was done. Immediately after the merger was official, the new board of directors approved a plan to spend $8 billion by June 2029 to repurchase (buy back) shares of stock. Read More “Devon and Coterra Complete Merger, Launches $8B Buyback Program”
Cumberland County | Dominion Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Virginia

Dominion Energy Floats Plan for New 3 GW Gas-Fired Power in Virginia
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

You have to hand it to Dominion Energy, the company has brass… courage. In June 2023, Dominion announced plans to build four small “peaker” electric generating plants in Chesterfield County near Richmond (see Dominion Plans to Build 1,000-MW Gas Peaker Plant Near Richmond, VA). The Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC) calls for building four 250-megawatt gas-fired power plants (1,000 MW total) that can jump into action during the coldest and hottest days of the year to help supply enough electricity for 250,000 homes, to keep the lights on because solar and wind are not up to the task. Three years later, the CERC project still hasn’t started construction due to the lawfare efforts of the environmental left. Yet Dominion has just announced *another* new gas-fired power plant project, this one a whopping 3,000 megawatts (3 gigawatts!) two counties away from the CERC project. Read More “Dominion Energy Floats Plan for New 3 GW Gas-Fired Power in Virginia”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (OH) | Ohio

Tenaska Floats Plan for New 1.7 GW Gas-Fired Power in Ohio
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Saline Township, Jefferson County, Ohio

Yesterday, Tenaska announced plans to expand its Tri-State Energy Hub project by adding a natural gas power plant in Saline Township, Jefferson County, Ohio. The new plant will be capable of generating up to 1,700 megawatts (1.7 GW) — enough to power approximately 1.7 million homes. The expansion builds on the company’s existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub, for which 30 carbon dioxide injection wells have already been submitted for approval (see Tenaska Set to Dig Test Well for Carbon Capture Storage in WV). Officials estimate the CCS portion alone could deliver a $1 billion economic impact, with additional job creation, tax revenue, and landowner payments expected. Read More “Tenaska Floats Plan for New 1.7 GW Gas-Fired Power in Ohio”
CNG/LNG | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Regulation

Work to Expand Elba Island LNG Exports by Extra 0.4 MMTY Progresses
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG, which accepts and liquefies Marcellus/Utica molecules just offshore from Savannah, Georgia, received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in November 2024 to expand the facility to produce an extra 0.4 million metric tons/year (see FERC Approves 0.4 MMTY Expansion for Elba Island LNG). After Donald Trump regained the White House, many of the roadblocks to expanding Elba (and other LNG projects) were cleared. Elba has been hard at work on the upgrades since then, with some already online and others soon to be. Read More “Work to Expand Elba Island LNG Exports by Extra 0.4 MMTY Progresses”
AI | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Indiana County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

Sen. McCormick Defends Homer City Power Plant Against “Uniformed”
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

U.S. Senator Dave McCormick recently visited the $10 billion Homer City Redevelopment project in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, where a new natural gas power plant and hyperscale data center are replacing a former coal facility. McCormick compared current environmental protests against data centers to early opposition to Marcellus Shale fracking, arguing both face “uninformed” anxiety despite offering massive economic and job benefits. Gee, where else have you heard the comparison between anti-fracking and anti-data center? MDN was perhaps the first to identify the trend, first tipping you back in July 2025 that the Democrat anti-fracking movement in Pennsylvania (and beyond) was rapidly becoming anti-data center (see PA Antis Hate Fossil Fuels, Shale Drilling, and Now…Data Centers). Read More “Sen. McCormick Defends Homer City Power Plant Against “Uniformed””
Best of the Rest

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, May 8, 2026
May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Team Pennsylvania outlines commonwealth goals for renewed nuclear era; McCormick hails Shippingport power plant conversion; PJM board names David E. Mills as PJM President and CEO; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Rockefeller Fund bankrolls MD Gov. Moore’s ‘climate study’; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas rises on below-estimate storage build; Sen. Cotton bill names FERC as sole lead agency for pipelines; A growing grid needs market discipline – 5 principles for transmission policy; INTERNATIONAL: Oil swings on Iran deal doubts; US, Iran engage in fresh clashes near Hormuz; IEA says Middle East conflict altering medium-term gas outlook; EU purchases from Russia’s largest natural gas field hit record £3bn; Big Oil resists push to prioritize output growth. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, May 8, 2026”