Energy Companies

Chesapeake Energy | Chevron | Energy Companies | Ohio County | West Virginia

Chevron Transfers 1,500 Acres of Leases to Chesapeake in WV
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

The wheeling and dealing with gas leases in the Utica (and Marcellus) seems to be far from over. Last week MDN broke the news that Aubrey McClendon’s new company had picked up 24,650 acres from from SWEPI (Shell) in the Utica Shale in Guernsey County, OH (see Exclusive: McClendon Buys 24K Acres of SWEPI Leases in OH Utica). Now comes news that Chevron has sold 1,500 acres of leases in Ohio County, WV to Chesapeake Energy.

Here are the details, including the names of landowners whose leases were transferred…
Read More “Chevron Transfers 1,500 Acres of Leases to Chesapeake in WV”
Anadarko | Bradford County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Southwestern Energy | Sullivan County

PA DCNR Blocks Drilling in Loyalsock State Forest – For Now
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

Back in April, MDN told you about a ginned-up “controversy” over Anadarko Petroleum’s plan to drill in the Loyalsock State Forest that covers parts of Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford counties in PA (see Manufactured Controversy over Drilling in Loyalsock State Forest). Anadarko owns the lease rights to 25,000 acres underneath the Loyalsock. Even though Anadarko provided the state with their plan to drill (as requested, in March 2012), the state Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) last week temporarily refused their application to begin drilling. Why? Not because of any problems with the proposed plan, but because another driller, Southwestern Energy, owns the rights to about the same amount of acreage and has not submitted a plan to drill on their acreage.

Is it fair that Anadarko be held back because Southwestern isn’t ready to drill yet? Did the DCNR stipulate that all drillers must supply a drilling plan first, when Anadarko submitted their plan back in March 2012? Why did it take until October 2013 for the DCNR to tell Anadarko that Southwestern has to file too? Troubling questions…
Read More “PA DCNR Blocks Drilling in Loyalsock State Forest – For Now”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Crime | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

NE PA Anti-Driller Slapped with Trespassing Injunction
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

Vera Scroggins is a minor celebrity in Susquehanna County, PA–perhaps even beyond. Josh Fox of Gasland fame knows her and loves her. She certainly knows how to harass people she disagrees with (see “The Final Ploy of the Desperate” Natural Gas Opponents for one shining example of her charm). Scroggins has, until now, created a cottage industry of taking “tour groups” around to fracking sites in Susquehanna County–trespassing and pushing her ever-present camera into the face of private landowners (who have asked her to leave) and into the face of gas workers.

Cabot Oil & Gas, the company leasing many of the sites targeted by Scroggins, finally went to court to keep her from harassing private landowners and their workers. That is, Cabot asked the court to stop Scroggins from breaking the law. And the court has now done so by issuing a temporary injunction against Scroggins which will remain in force until a hearing for a permanent injunction is held…
Read More “NE PA Anti-Driller Slapped with Trespassing Injunction”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Zeitsgeist: Is 20 Bcf per Well the New Marcellus Standard?
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

Energy analyst and Seeking Alpha blogger Richard Zeits asks the question, is 20 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per well is the new operating standard for the Marcellus Shale? He asks the question based on the latest quarterly update issued by Cabot Oil & Gas last week for their operation in Susquehanna County, PA. Zeits says Cabot’s report is further proof that the “sweet spot” for dry gas in the Marcellus is northeastern PA.

Zeits starts his latest sterling analysis this way:
Read More “Zeitsgeist: Is 20 Bcf per Well the New Marcellus Standard?”
Energy Companies | Harrison County | Hess | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Utica Shale

Harrison County: Busy Courthouse, Road Use & Lease Offer by Hess
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

What’s going on in Harrison County, OH? When it comes to oil and gas drilling in the Utica Shale, quite a lot, including: a congested courthouse (where land records are kept); proposed road use agreements from Chesapeake Energy; and a plum offer by Hess for 21.7 acres west of the Harrison County Airport.

The details…
Read More “Harrison County: Busy Courthouse, Road Use & Lease Offer by Hess”
American Energy Partners | American Energy Utica | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Ohio | SWEPI

Exclusive: McClendon Buys 24K Acres of SWEPI Leases in OH Utica
October 25, 2013

It seems that Aubrey McClendon is already putting some of that $1.7 billion he recently raised to good use (see McClendon Gets a Little Help ($1.7B) from His Friends in OH Utica). Thanks to an alert commenter on the GoMarcellusShale.com website, we now know where some of that $1.7B went.

In paperwork filed with the Guernsey County, OH Recorder’s office dated October 10, 2013, SWEPI (i.e. Shell) assigned what appears to be most or all of their leased Utica Shale acreage in Guernsey County over to McClendon’s America Energy – Utica company. The transfer (full copy embedded below listing ALL of the leases and landowners by name), includes 24,650 gross/24,016 net acres…
Read More “Exclusive: McClendon Buys 24K Acres of SWEPI Leases in OH Utica”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot 3Q13: Production Up 61%, 4 Wells Produced Avg 27.5 Mmcf/d
October 25, 2013October 27, 2013

Quarterly reporting season continues. Yesterday Cabot Oil & Gas, one of our favorite Marcellus drillers, reported that production for 3Q13 averaged an amazing 107.1 billion cubic feet for the quarter. That’s a 61% increase over the same time last year. Truly astonishing. Also of interest, during 3Q13 Cabot drilled a pad with four wells in Susquehanna County, PA with 109 total frac stages across the four wells. Those combined four wells produced an initial production rate of 110 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d)–an average of 27.5 Mmcf/d per well! Just unheard-of rates.

Here’s Cabot’s 3Q13 financial and operations update from yesterday, with details of the Marcellus drilling operations in Susquehanna County, PA:
Read More “Cabot 3Q13: Production Up 61%, 4 Wells Produced Avg 27.5 Mmcf/d”
Energy Companies | Noble Energy

Noble Energy 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 64%
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

Noble Energy has drilling operations in several U.S. resource basins and indeed in other countries. One of their drilling operations is the Marcellus Shale (WV & PA), and yesterday they reported (3Q13 update) that production from the Marcellus achieved a record average rate of 168 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) for 3Q13, up 64% from a year ago. According to the update, Noble drilled seven new pads in the Marcellus during 3Q13.

Here’s the details as reported by Noble for their Marcellus operation:
Read More “Noble Energy 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 64%”
Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell | Statewide PA

WSJ Says PA Cracker Plant May Not Happen After All
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

It seems like MDN has been writing about Shell’s proposed $2 billion ethane cracker plant for like, ever. You can scour our archive of stories mentioning the Shell cracker plant. We’ve chronicled the ups and downs. Where is this important project at right now?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the prospects that Shell will build an ethane cracker plant in Pennsylvania have now “faded”…
Read More “WSJ Says PA Cracker Plant May Not Happen After All”
CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies

Water Cooler Talk: CONSOL Energy Splitting?
October 24, 2013

Is CONSOL Energy/CNX Gas getting ready to split? As in, spin-off the company into two pieces, one for its traditional coal business (CONSOL’s coal business has been around since the Civil War), and one for natural gas drilling? Apparently that’s the speculation “going around”–at least among energy industry analysts who seem to have ADHD when it comes to predicting mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and now–it seems–spin-offs.

An interesting (and balanced) article appears on yesterday’s Seeking Alpha investor’s website talking about the prospects of a CONSOL spin-off…
Read More “Water Cooler Talk: CONSOL Energy Splitting?”
Energy Companies | EQT Corp

EQT Corp 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 74%
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

Marcellus and Utica Shale driller EQT Corporation issued their third quarter financial and operations update today, and wow, what an update! The company reports 3Q13 revenue was up 177% over 3Q12. Also of note: Marcellus production has hit 787 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d), which is up 74% from last year. Production from all of EQT’s drilling is now producing an average 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Production is up. Revenue is up. Midstream is up. Everything appears to be looking up for EQT…
Read More “EQT Corp 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 74%”
American Energy Utica | Energy Companies | EnerVest | Harrison County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Clue? Aubrey McClendon Picks up Clendening Reservoir Leases
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

It ain’t much land, but it is notable nonetheless for the clue it provides. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) has approved the re-assignment of mineral rights for 133 acres at the Clendening Reservoir in Harrison County, OH to American Energy Utica, Aubrey McClendon’s new company.

It gives us a continuing look at just where in the Utica Aubrey is concentrating his $1.7 billion worth of efforts…
Read More “Clue? Aubrey McClendon Picks up Clendening Reservoir Leases”
Antero Resources | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Muskingum Watershed District Approves 3rd Water Sale for Fracking
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

As they have done in the past, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District in Ohio has approved more water sales for using fracking. This batch comes from Seneca Lake in southeast OH. The Utica Shale driller buying the water is Antero Resources…
Read More “Muskingum Watershed District Approves 3rd Water Sale for Fracking”
Arrowhead Utica Pipelines | Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Hilcorp Energy | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Ohio | Sunoco Logistics | Trucking

Progress for Arrowhead NGL Transload Facility in Wellsville, OH
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

Progress for the Arrowhead Utica Pipeline transloading facility being built on property leased by Arrowhead Utica (a subsidiary of Utica driller Hilcorp) from the Columbiana County Port Authority in Wellsville, OH. The transloading facility is a $20-$40 million project that will bring natural gas liquids (NGLs) to the facility to be loaded on rail, truck and barge.

On Monday, the Port Authority approved easements and rights of way to Arrowhead and Sunoco Pipeline to install and maintain pipelines near the Wellsville facility…
Read More “Progress for Arrowhead NGL Transload Facility in Wellsville, OH”
Energy Companies | Erie County (NY) | New York | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Statewide NY | Statewide PA

National Fuel Gas Production Jumps 45% in FY13
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013

National Fuel Gas Co. is headquartered in Buffalo, NY, but it’s the Pennsylvania Marcellus that is causing the company to grow “by leaps and bounds.” National Fuel said its oil and natural gas production jumped 45% during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Via their Seneca Resources subsidiary, they are a major Marcellus player with 780,000 net acres in the PA Marcellus.

Which leads MDN to ask, what the heck are they still doing with their HQ in Buffalo? Why not move to Pittsburgh or someplace else in PA?…
Read More “National Fuel Gas Production Jumps 45% in FY13”
Allegheny County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Back from the Chesapeake Dead: David Spigelmyer Takes Helm at MSC
October 22, 2013October 22, 2013

The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), the premier organization representing the Marcellus drilling industry in Pennsylvania and beyond, has named a new leader. Since the organization’s founding in late 2009 it has been led by the very talented Kathryn Klaber. In a surprise announcement in July, Katie said she would be stepping down from her post (see Kathryn Klaber Stepping Down as CEO of Marcellus Shale Coalition). She has big shoes to fill. So who will fill them?

David Spigelmyer has become the new CEO of the MSC effective this week. David’s name may be familiar. Until August of this year he was chairman of the executive board for the MSC. He was on the board representing Chesapeake Energy, one of the largest drillers in the Marcellus. Then Chessy’s new CEO Doug Lawler swung his ax…
Read More “Back from the Chesapeake Dead: David Spigelmyer Takes Helm at MSC”