ECA Marcellus Trust I, traded over-the-counter on the pink sheets, announced on Friday that there will be no distribution (i.e. dividends) paid for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 to shareholders. This is the third quarter in a row the Trust has not paid investors. How much longer is ECA going to withhold payments from investors?
Read More “ECA Marcellus Trust I Cancels 3Q20 Distribution to Investors”
When a pipeline company considers whether or not to build a new pipeline, the company conducts an “open season”–a time when drillers (producers) can sign long-term contracts to use capacity along the pipeline. Such contracts guarantee pipeline companies will be able to make back the considerable amount of money they have to spend to build the pipeline. What happens when a driller that signed to a 10- or 20-year contract goes bankrupt? Or what happens if a contract will force a driller into bankruptcy? Can such a contract be canceled?
Read More “Shale Driller Bankruptcies Spur Requests to Cancel Pipe Contracts”
In line with a rise of COVID-19 cases in the general population throughout the state of Pennsylvania (and elsewhere), workers at the Shell ethane cracker site in Monaca, PA (near Pittsburgh) have seen a big jump in active coronavirus cases. As of yesterday, the number of active cases stood at 39. Wednesday the number was 31. Shell says most if not all of the cases are coming from offsite and onsite transmission among the 7,000 active workers is not a factor in the rising number.
Read More “Spike in COVID Cases at Shell PA Cracker Plant Site – 39 Active”
Ascent Resources, originally founded as American Energy Partners by gas legend Aubrey McClendon, is a privately-held company that focuses 100% on the Ohio Utica Shale. Ascent is Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S. The company issued its third-quarter 2020 update yesterday. Ascent reports it shut-in 210 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of production, but still managed to produce 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) during 3Q.
Read More “Ascent Resources 3Q – Curtailed 210 MMcf/d, Drilled 14 New Wells”
Yesterday Pittsburgh Business Times‘ ace reporter Paul Gough got EQT CEO Toby Rice to open up and talk about the company’s recently announced deal to buy Chevron’s considerable Marcellus/Utica assets (see EQT Buys Chevron M-U Assets for $735M, Floats $350M in New Stock). Rice said the Chevron deal fits like a glove and investors will love it. He offered some insight into the bidding process and his thoughts on the pipeline assets that are part of the deal.
Read More “EQT’s Toby Rice Discusses Chevron Deal, Ponders Pipe Assets”
EQT CEO Toby Rice has been positively chatty lately. He gave a great interview to the Pittsburgh Business Times revealing his thinking with respect to the recently announced Chevron deal (see today’s lead story). He also spoke to Bloomberg reporters. Rice shared his views on further consolidation in the M-U sector. He indicated EQT is still in the hunt for a deal with CNX and possibly other M-U drillers.
Read More “Even After Chevron, EQT Still in Hunt to Buy CNX, Other Producers”
Epsilon Energy concentrates most of its effort on the Marcellus in Susquehanna County, PA. Epsilon doesn’t actually do any of its own drilling. The company partners with (gives money to) other companies, like Chesapeake Energy, and the other company does the drilling. Epsilon, according to its website, owns ~4,000 net acres in the PA Marcellus. They also own assets in Oklahoma’s Anadarko Basin. On Tuesday Epsilon issued its third-quarter 2020 update, showing a bump up in revenue to $5.8 million in 3Q20 (vs. $5.2 million in 3Q19).
Read More “NEPA Producer Epsilon Energy 3Q Update: Longer Laterals Coming”
According to the president and CEO of BP Energy, one of BP’s largest North American subsidiaries, “Demand for gas to be liquefied and exported from the US has recovered beyond pre-pandemic levels to nearly its maximum capacity.” Whoa, who knew? We are far from being over and done with the COVID-19 pandemic, yet LNG demand is already back and has exceeded demand from before the pandemic. This is seriously good news for the Marcellus/Utica and the export of our molecules.
Read More “BP Says Demand for U.S. LNG has Recovered to Pre-Pandemic Levels”
Last week Pennsylvania issued a paltry 3 new shale well drilling permits (lowest we’ve seen in months), Ohio issued a single new permit, and West Virginia issued 5 new shale well permits. All 3 PA permits were issued in Greene County. The OH permit was issued in Carroll County (bit of a surprise). And all 5 WV permits were issued in Tyler County.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Nov. 2-6”
Radical anti-fossil fuel groups have not given up hope they can somehow, at the last minute, block the $10 billion Shell ethane cracker plant (about a year from being completed) from ever starting up. Perhaps Biden’s “victory” has given them a little boost of irrational exuberance? In 2015 the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an air permit for the cracker plant. Shell needs to tweak the permit with new information. Antis are asking PA to deny the new tweaks, claiming Shell wants to pollute the region even more. Shell says the tweaks reflect new realities, including LOWER emissions.
Read More “Anti Groups Ask PA to Reject Shell Cracker Air Permit Modification”
Last week ExxonMobil issued its third-quarter 2020 update. The company announced it is currently reviewing and making a decision about whether or not to write down (impair) the value of its North American dry gas assets–i.e. XTO Energy. If it writes down the value XTO assets, it will take a huge write-down in value (assets currently on the books at a value of $25-$30 billion).
NOTE: MDN revised this post on 11/9/20 to reflect new information. See an extended explanation below.
Read More “ExxonMobil Deciding Fate of XTO Asset Value in 4Q”
After a shareholder vote scheduled for next Thursday, Nov. 12, Montage Resources will be no more. The company is selling itself to Southwestern Energy in an all-stock deal worth $857 million (see Stop Press! Southwestern Energy Buying Montage Resources for $857M). Yesterday Montage issued what will be its very last quarterly update. What does the update show?
Read More “Montage Resources Releases Last Quarterly Update – Merging Next Wk”
An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal says there is a “split reality” emerging for U.S. shale drillers. Shale oil drillers are struggling to survive, while shale gas drillers, particularly in the Marcellus/Utica, are slowly seeing signs of financial recovery. The upshot is that you should consider investing in shale gas drillers (and not shale oil drillers).
Read More “Shale Gas Drillers in M-U Outshine Shale Oil Drillers Elsewhere”
Last week Pennsylvania issued 16 new shale well drilling permits, and West Virginia issued 7 new shale well permits. Ohio issued no new shale permits last week.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Oct. 26-30”
Southwestern Energy Company released its third-quarter 2020 update last Friday. The company previously announced it is buying out and merging in Marcellus/Utica driller Montage Resources. During the 3Q conference call, CEO Bill Way said the company expects to close on the deal immediately after Montage Resources shareholders vote on the deal November 12. Also from the 3Q update: Southwestern managed to reduce the cost of drilling for one of their PA Marcellus wells down to $491 per lateral foot!
Read More “Southwestern Expects to Close on Montage Purchase Nov. 12”
Dan Dinges, CEO of Cabot Oil & Gas, said last week: “2020 has proven to be the most challenging year for natural gas prices in the last 25 years, resulting from a multi-year trend of overcapitalization of both oil and natural gas assets across our industry.” Indeed. The company released its third-quarter 2020 update on Friday and reported a net loss of $15 million, compared to net income of $90.4 million in 3Q19. This is the first quarterly net loss for Cabot in recent memory. Still, there was plenty of good news coming from the 3Q update…
Read More “Cabot O&G 3Q: 2.4 Bcf/d, Drilled 13 Wells, Upper Marcellus Coming”