Expand Energy Taps Evolution’s E-Fracking Solution for Northeast PA
Yesterday, Expand Energy and Evolution Well Services announced a new agreement to deploy Evolution’s 100% electric hydraulic fracturing technology (e-fracking) in Expand’s Northeast Appalachia (northeast Pennsylvania) drilling program. Evolution, headquartered in Houston with a regional office in Pittsburgh, specializes in “electric” fracking — using natural gas from the well pad (instead of diesel) to power turbines that generate electricity to drive fracking pumps. We’ve written about Evolution’s e-fracking work in the Marcellus/Utica for years (see our stories here). The company does work for many of the largest drillers in the M-U. Evolution can add another customer to the list, the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. Read More “Expand Energy Taps Evolution’s E-Fracking Solution for Northeast PA”
Expand Energy turned in its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 update earlier this week. The company reported a year of “phenomenal execution,” marked by a 15% reduction in Haynesville breakevens and significant debt reduction post-Southwestern merger. The company, the largest natural gas producer in the U.S., had combined (Marcellus/Utica and Haynesville) production of 7.4 Bcfe/d, up 16% from 6.4 Bcfe/d for the same period in 2024. Interim CEO Michael Wichterich said the company is making a “strategic move” to Houston (from Oklahoma City) to align with a projected 40% rise in natural gas demand over five years. 
The Marcellus/Utica region received a combined 24 new drilling permits last week, Feb. 2 – 8, up 2 from the permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 10 new permits, Ohio issued 10, and West Virginia issued 4. The drillers receiving new permits last week included: Arsenal Resources, Ascent Resources, Blackhill Energy, EQT, Expand Energy, and Infinity Natural Resources. 
Yesterday, Expand Energy announced it is moving its corporate headquarters from Oklahoma City, OK, to Houston, TX. That was the headline and lead in the announcement. And oh, by the way, the company’s very successful CEO, the guy who guided the merger of Chesapeake Energy with Southwestern Energy and has made the resulting Expand Energy *the largest* natural gas producer in the country, Nick Dell’Osso, has “stepped down” effective immediately. Talk about burying the lede! The press release and just about every news story you will read imply that Nick didn’t want to move to Houston, so he’s cashing in. Not so. What the press release doesn’t tell you is that the board terminated (fired) Dell’Osso last Friday. The question is, why? 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the February 7 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC approved and/or renewed 42 general water use permits in December and 32 general permits in January (74 combined) for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties. 
Baker Hughes has signed a multi-year agreement with Expand Energy, North America’s largest natural gas producer, to deploy its Leucipa™ AI-powered production solution across thousands of U.S. wells. This collaboration focuses on optimizing operations in the Marcellus, Utica, and Haynesville shales using data-driven insights and “Lucy,” a generative AI production assistant. Leucipa will make Expand’s operations more efficient and reliable by streamlining field decision-making and forecasting. AI comes to the shale fields of the Marcellus/Utica! 
Volatility is the watchword for new permits in the Marcellus/Utica. Three weeks ago, the combined count between Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia was a measly 8 new permits (see 
In Q3 2025, U.S. E&Ps (drillers) successfully leveraged rigorous cost-cutting and capital discipline to maintain stable earnings despite commodity price volatility. With lifting costs down 16% since mid-2022, producers offset revenue pressures through efficiency and consolidation. RBN Energy reports that performance diverged by sector in 3Q: oil-weighted producers saw earnings rise 19% on stabilized crude prices and reduced impairments, while gas-weighted peers suffered a 27% earnings slump due to lower realizations. Total production increased 4.7%, mainly driven by oil majors. Looking ahead to Q4, the outlook shifts; oil producers face headwinds as prices dip toward $60/bbl, while natural gas producers anticipate a strong finish fueled by winter demand and rising Henry Hub prices. 
Regional and national indicators are driving optimism in the Marcellus/Utica Basin, which currently supplies 31% of U.S. natural gas. Despite recent constraints from low prices and limited pipeline capacity, drillers like Infinity Natural Resources and Expand Energy now predict significant output growth coming in the new year. This resurgence is fueled by surging in-basin demand from AI data centers, major power plant conversions in Pennsylvania, and improved takeaway prospects, such as Boardwalk’s proposed Borealis pipeline to the Gulf Coast (see 
It’s time to revisit a topic we’ve covered many times before — philanthropy in the Marcellus/Utica region. Drillers and pipeline companies in the M-U region already contribute to the region through the generous lease bonuses and royalties paid to landowners. In addition to the billions that flow to landowners, M-U companies cumulatively donate millions of dollars to local communities and nonprofit organizations. Here’s the latest example of that in action: The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) says its members (and their employees) have embraced this Thanksgiving season by giving back through food drives, volunteering at local charities, and supporting community initiatives.