CNX Resources issued its third-quarter 2020 update yesterday. The company didn’t bother to issue the usual narrative describing what happened during 3Q. Instead, they simply pushed out the financials, a slide deck, and spoke to analysts on a conference call. What did we learn picking through the numbers and the conference call transcript? One thing we learned is that CNX has no interest in being merged with EQT, that’s for sure. Read More “CNX 3Q Update: Not Interested in Selling to EQT, or Anyone Else”
Nick DeIuliis, President and CEO of CNX Resources Corporation, has been an outspoken advocate for the shale gas industry and manufacturing since at least 2017. And we mean outspoken. The trend continues. Nick has just announced a forthcoming book and a new website to continue his pro-fossil fuel advocacy. Read More “CNX CEO Nick DeIuliis Publishes New Book, Website Promoting NatGas”
Bloomberg is reporting insider sources say EQT, already the biggest natural gas producer in the country (and pureplay driller in the Marcellus/Utica), has sent a takeover proposal to CNX Resources, another major Marcellus/Utica driller. Friendly? Hostile? Who knows. In September inside sources told Reuters that EQT had made a bid on Chevron’s extensive M-U acreage (see Sources: EQT Offering $750M for Chevron’s Marcellus/Utica Assets). Would/could EQT actually end up buying both? Seems like a stretch. Read More “Stop Press: Sources Say EQT Trying to Take Over CNX Resources”
Only Pennsylvania issued permits to drill new shale wells last week in the Appalachian region. Neither Ohio nor West Virginia issued any new drilling permits from Oct. 5-9. In PA, some 20 permits were issued in both the northeast and southwest parts of the state. Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Oct. 5-9”
We spotted a couple of stories, one in Barron’s the other in the Wall Street Journal, about the pickup in the futures price of natural gas over the past week, and how those recent gains have led to impressive gains in the share price for Marcellus/Utica drillers. Yesterday the NYMEX Henry Hub futures price closed up 4.11% to $2.74/Mcf. The rising tide lifts all boats. Read More “Marcellus/Utica Driller Stock Prices Trend Up with NatGas Price”
S&P Global Market Intelligence has done some forensic analysis of permits issued to drill new shale wells in Pennsylvania during August 2020. They compared last month’s permit numbers with the numbers from a year ago and found that PA issued 77 new permits last month, down 24% from August 2019. Read More “PA Shale Drilling Permits Down 24% in August, but EQT Roars Back”
CNX was fracking their Shaw 1G Utica well in Washington Township (Westmoreland County) in early 2019 when they detected “a strong drop in pressure” and stopped fracking (see CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SWPA Reservoir). Turns out the well was “communicating” (i.e. losing gas to) several nearby conventional wells. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) finally assessed a fine for that episode late last week: $175,000. Read More “CNX Agrees to $175K Fine for Faulty Utica Well in SWPA”
CNX Resources issued its 2Q20 update yesterday. The company reports a $146 million net loss. Production in 2Q20 was 114.5 Bcfe (billion cubic feet equivalent), down from 134.5 Bcfe in 2Q19 due to curtailments. Average daily production in 2Q was 1.26 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day), down from 1.35 Bcf/d a year earlier. The company shut-in some of its production due to COVID and low prices. They will restore all shut-in production by November. Read More “CNX 2Q Update: Production Down, Curtailments Gone by November”
CNX Midstream began life as a joint venture between CONSOL Energy (the forerunner to CNX Resources) and Noble Energy, and was called CONE Midstream (“CO” from CONSOL and “NE” from Noble Energy). Noble decided to completely exit the Marcellus/Utica and ended up selling their half of CONE to CNX for $305 million in early 2018 (see CNX to Buy Noble’s 50% Share of CONE Midstream for $305M). The company was then renamed CNX Midstream (see CONE Midstream Gets a New Name: CNX Midstream Partners). Although CNX owns a majority of CNX Midstream, there has (until now) remained a certain portion owned by outside investors. That will soon come to an end as CNX is buying out the remaining portions it doesn’t own for $357 million. CNX Midstream will now be owned 100% by CNX Resources. Read More “CNX Resources Buying/Merging in Rest of CNX Midstream for $357M”
On Friday the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it has fined CNX Resources and its subsidiary CNX Midstream $310,000 for two incidents in which 65 barrels (2,730 gallons) of non-toxic brine (salty water) leaked into the ground and 43 gallons of non-toxic drilling mud leaked into a creek. The DEP says CNX did “not adequately maintain erosion and sedimentation best management practices.” Read More “PA DEP Fines CNX $310K for Minor Violations re Pipe Construction”
We have a MUST-SEE video (below) from a virtual event hosted yesterday. This year’s edition of the annual Petrochemical Development conference and expo held in Pittsburgh went virtual this year because of the coronavirus. Yesterday was Day One of the event, and one of the opening keynotes was delivered by CNX Resources CEO Nick DeIuliis. His 21-minute talk was dynamite! Nick delivered a talk titled, “Nine Irrefutable Energy Truths and a Critical Call to Action.” In his talk, he unapologetically spoke about and defended the superiority (morally, ethically, economically) of carbon-based energy. Read More “CNX CEO Defends Carbon, Issues Call to Action for O&G, Petchem”