Diversified CEO Says Majority of Co.’s Wells Can Produce 50+ Yrs
Diversified Energy (formerly Diversified Gas & Oil) is a company that continues to fascinate us. Diversified’s CEO, Rusty Hutson, Jr., started the company in 2001 with just 35 old conventional wells in West Virginia. Today the company owns over 69,000 gas and oil wells! Most of them are conventional and located in the Appalachian region, although the company now owns over 400 shale wells too. The company’s strategy is to let others locate and drill new wells, and obtain the initial rush of production. But as those wells age and produce a small trickle of what they initially produced, most companies look to sell them. That’s where Diversified comes in, buying up those older, lower-producing wells. Even though the production is low, those old wells are like annuities that just keep steadily producing–for years. In fact, Hutson said in a recent interview that the majority of the 69,000+ wells Diversified owns will produce for “50, 60 years or more.”
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This morning Diversified Energy announced it is expanding methane emissions detection at the company’s operations in the Appalachian Basin by deploying an extra 500 handheld detection devices (in addition to 100 already in use) at its work sites. Diversified owns close to 8 million acres of leases with some 67,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells (with over 400 Marcellus/Utica shale wells). Diversified’s strategy is to seek wells in “the long tail.” That is, wells already drilled with production far along the decline curve. Most of the wells in their inventory are older conventional wells. However, as shale wells begin to age and produce less, Diversified is also buying into the shale market.
The Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia (GO-WV) released a new report yesterday called “Gas Facts” (full copy below). The report chronicles the impact oil and gas has had on the Mountain State over the past five years. According to Charlie Burd, GO-WV executive director, “Natural gas is the state’s top-paying sector, supporting more than 82,000 jobs and contributing roughly $5.2 billion in wages each year. Clean, abundant natural gas will continue to drive economic growth and opportunities for generations of West Virginians.” It’s an interesting report. One thing in the report caught our eye immediately: Two “top 10” lists for gas and oil production. We’re suckers for a good top 10 list…
Diversified Energy (née Diversified Gas & Oil) continues to expand *outside* of the Marcellus/Utica region. In April the company announced it had purchased ~780 net operated wells and leases in the Cotton Valley/Haynesville region of Lousiana for $135 million (see
Diversified Gas & Oil (DGO) owns close to 8 million acres of leases with some 60,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells. Their focus has been to acquire quality production and cash flow–regardless of the well or commodity type (gas or oil)–in the Appalachian Basin. DGO currently owns over 400 Marcellus/Utica shale wells in their portfolio too. Earlier this week the company issued its fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 update. Although the company reported a $23 million loss for 2020 (versus making $99 million in 2019), CEO Rusty Hutson says he is “exceptionally pleased with our results in 2020” and the way the company navigated a turbulent 2020.
All three M-U states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania received 22 new permits. Ohio received 2 new permits. And West Virginia received 8 new permits.
Diversified Gas & Oil (DGO) owns close to 8 million acres of leases with some 60,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells. Their focus has been to acquire quality production and cash flow–regardless of the well or commodity type (gas or oil)–in the Appalachian Basin. DGO currently owns over 400 Marcellus/Utica shale wells in their portfolio too. The company just added to their inventory of shale wells, closing on the purchase of five Utica Shale wells in Monroe County, OH. The purchase price for all five? $8.4 million.
