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27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 23 – 29

For the week of June 23 – 29, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica rose slightly from the previous week. There were 27 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, up three from 24 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 10 new permits. Six of the ten permits went to EQT for a single pad in Greene County. Two permits were issued to Range Resources for a pad in Washington County. And one permit each was issued to Coterra Energy in Susquehanna County (in Dimock!), and Infinity Natural Resources in Indiana County. Read More “27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 23 – 29”

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WARN Notice Reveals Encino Energy to Lay Off 121 Workers

This is an unfortunate part of mergers and acquisitions. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that a WARN notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) filed by Encino Energy indicates that 121 Encino workers will be laid off on or around August 17. No reason is given, however, EOG Resources is in the process of buying out and merging in Encino’s Ohio Utica assets (see HUGE Utica News: EOG Resources Buys Encino Energy for $5.6 Billion). The merger deal is supposed to be done by the end of this year. Yet Encino is laying people off now (60 days from June 18). Read More “WARN Notice Reveals Encino Energy to Lay Off 121 Workers”

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HUGE Utica News: EOG Resources Buys Encino Energy for $5.6 Billion

In February, MDN brought you the rumor that Canadian pension fund CPP Investments, the majority owner of Encino Acquisition Partners (aka Encino Energy), was considering either a sale of the company or possibly an initial public offering (see Shocker: Encino Energy Considers Sale or Possible IPO for $7B). The rumor was right. On Friday, EOG Resources, Inc. announced an agreement with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP) and Encino Energy under which EOG will acquire Encino Acquisition Partners (EAP) for $5.6 billion, inclusive of EAP’s net debt. EOG expects to fund the acquisition through $3.5 billion of debt and $2.1 billion of cash on hand. Read More “HUGE Utica News: EOG Resources Buys Encino Energy for $5.6 Billion”

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24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 19 – 25

For the week of May 19 – 25, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica was down seven from the previous week. Last week, 24 new permits were issued in the M-U. In the Keystone State (PA), just four new permits were issued, all of them going to Expand Energy (Chesapeake) for a pad in Sullivan County. The Buckeye State (OH) received 13 new permits, with most (five) going to Encino Energy (EAP) in Columbiana County. EOG Resources received four permits for Carroll County, and Gulfport Energy received four permits for Belmont County. The Mountain State (WV) scored seven new permits. Six of the seven went to Antero Resources for a single pad in Tyler County. One permit was issued to Marion Natural Energy in Marion County. Read More “24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 19 – 25”

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EOG Cuts Back on Oil Drilling in Some Places, but Not in the Utica

EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in the U.S. (with international operations in Trinidad and China), owns nearly half a million acres of leases in the Ohio Utica (~460,000 acres). EOG calls its position the “Ohio Utica combo play” and considers it one of the company’s “premium” and “emerging” plays. EOG concentrates on oil drilling in the Utica. During the company’s first quarter 2025 update in early May, we learned that EOG is cutting $200 million from its 2025 spending plan, believing Trump’s tariffs will lead to a slowdown in oil demand. However, the company is not cutting spending or work in the Utica. Read More “EOG Cuts Back on Oil Drilling in Some Places, but Not in the Utica”

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6th Circuit Reverses Lower Court, Blocks EOG from Surface Drilling

This is news of a lawsuit with implications for drillers, rights owners, and surface land owners that we were not previously aware of. EOG Resources, an oil and gas drilling giant with nearly half a million leased acres in Ohio, holds drilling rights on land owned by Lucky Land Management in Ohio—we could not determine the exact location or county. The two sides couldn’t agree on whether EOG’s rights to drill included the right to drill from Lucky Land’s surface out to adjacent properties as well. So EOG sued. EOG then asked a district court to grant a preliminary injunction, allowing the company to access the land to cut down trees and begin constructing wells. The district court did so, finding that EOG would probably succeed on the merits of the case. Read More “6th Circuit Reverses Lower Court, Blocks EOG from Surface Drilling”

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33 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 14 – 20

Last week was another strong week for new permits issued to drill new shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica. For the week of April 14 – 20, the number of permits was down three from the previous week, but still very strong. Last week, 33 new permits were issued in the M-U. In the Keystone State (PA), 25 new permits were issued, a dramatic increase from five two weeks ago. The top permittee was Range Resources, with 10 permits, half of which were in Allegheny County and the other half in Washington County. Seneca Resources received six permits, all of which were in Tioga County. EQT and its subsidiary Rice Drilling also scored six permits, with four in Fayette County and two in Greene County. PA General Energy got two permits in Lycoming County, and Olympus Energy received one permit in Allegheny County. Read More “33 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 14 – 20”

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22 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 17 – 23

For the week of Mar 17 – 23, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells dropped by nine from the previous week. Last week, 22 new permits were issued, with 16 going to the Keystone State (PA). PennEnergy Resources took the lion’s share with 11 permits for a single pad in Butler County. PA General Energy received four permits for a single pad in Lycoming County. Range Resources got one new permit in Washington County. Read More “22 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 17 – 23”

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EOG Commits to 2 Rigs, 1 Frac Crew in Ohio Utica; Needs Infra.

EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in the U.S. (with international operations in Trinidad and China), owns nearly a half million acres of leases in the Ohio Utica (~460,000 acres). EOG calls its position the “Ohio Utica combo play” and now considers it one of the company’s “premium plays.” EOG concentrates on oil drilling in the Utica. During the company’s fourth quarter and full-year update, we learned that EOG has fully committed to operating two rigs and one frac crew in the Ohio Utica in 2025. Looking back at 2024, the company drilled and completed 25 Utica wells. Looking forward to 2025, the plan is to drill and complete another 30 new Utica wells. Read More “EOG Commits to 2 Rigs, 1 Frac Crew in Ohio Utica; Needs Infra.”

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A Look at Ohio’s Utica Condensate/Light Crude Drillers, Part 2

Condensates are in the light-colored bottles on the left (click for larger version)

Condensate production (super-light crude oil) in the Utica Shale’s volatile oil window in eastern Ohio has more than doubled over the past three years. The small number of drillers that focus on drilling for condensate in Ohio (about half a dozen) are due to increase their output of condensate in 2025 and 2026. Who are these drillers? Why do they see such promise for condensate growth in the Utica? And, how are they measuring their success? Read More “A Look at Ohio’s Utica Condensate/Light Crude Drillers, Part 2”

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41 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 13 – 19

Wow! Is this the Trump effect? For the week of Jan 13 – 19, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells achieved levels we haven’t seen in, oh, about four years. There were 41 new permits issued last week, up significantly from 27 issued the week before and 30 issued two weeks before. The Keystone State (PA) issued a whopping 25 new permits, with 17 (!) going to EQT spread across Greene and Washington counties. Another six permits went to Chesapeake Energy (now Expand Energy) in Bradford County. One permit each went to Range Resources and Apex Energy in Beaver and Westmoreland counties, respectively. Read More “41 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 13 – 19”

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27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 6 – 12

For the week of Jan 6 – 12, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells remained healthy. There were 27 new permits issued last week, down three from 30 issued the week before. The Keystone State (PA) issued 13 new permits, with four going to Snyder Brothers in Armstrong County, four going to Coterra Energy in Susquehanna County (must be Coterra has restarted drilling), three for Infinity Natural Resources (INR) in Indiana County, and two for Range Resources in Washington County. Read More “27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 6 – 12”

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Superlight Crude Production Takes Off in Eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale

Condensates the light-colored bottles on the left

We’ve been covering the emergence of Ohio Utica oil over the past couple of years (see our Utica oil stories here). Other news outlets are beginning to notice the oily Utica. The experts at RBN Energy published a post on Friday announcing, “Condensate Production Takes Off in Eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale.” Condensate is another word for superlight crude oil. The RBN post analyzes recent oil drilling in Ohio, the potential for more growth through the second half of the 2020s, and the impact of Ohio’s increasing oil output on Midwest midstreamers and refiners. Read More “Superlight Crude Production Takes Off in Eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale”

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Return of the Wildcatters – Utica Oil Drillers Grow Organically

Oil wildcatting is the process of drilling exploratory wells in areas with little to no history of oil and gas production. Wildcatting is a high-risk activity that involves drilling in unproven or fully depleted areas. Wildcat wells are often drilled far from other wells and without the use of well logs or other geological data. Wildcatting can be profitable—or spectacularly unprofitable. A recent Hart Energy article reports that “wildcatting is back.” The very first part of the article focuses on wildcatting that is happening in the Ohio Utica Shale. Read More “Return of the Wildcatters – Utica Oil Drillers Grow Organically”

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28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 2 – 8

For the week of Dec 2 – 8, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica bounced back nicely. There were 28 new permits issued last week, more than doubling the 12 issued the week before (and matching the 28 issued three weeks ago). The Keystone State (PA) issued 18 new permits, with eight going to EQT spread across three counties: Jefferson, Lycoming, and Washington. Chesapeake Energy (now Expand Energy) received four permits, all of them in northeastern PA’s Wyoming County. CNX Resource scooped up two permits, both in Westmoreland County. The final four permits were singles issued to Blackhill Energy (Bradford County), XPR Resources (Centre County), Inflection Energy (Lycoming County), and Olympus Energy (Allegheny County). Read More “28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 2 – 8”

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Where M-U Drilling is Now, Where Might It Be Headed Next

According to an extensive report appearing on the World Oil website (and in the November issue of the magazine), multiple possible futures lie ahead for the Marcellus and Utica shales. So, which future will come to pass? Today, both industry and government see the Marcellus and Utica formations as tremendous opportunities for companies and state governments, with domestically produced energy, jobs, and a huge economic impact. Read More “Where M-U Drilling is Now, Where Might It Be Headed Next”