| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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”

| |

Expand Energy Ranked #2 Most Prolific Shale Producer in 2024

Enverus, a prominent analytics and advisory firm in the oil and gas space, released its Top 50 Public E&P Operators of 2024 list last week. Enverus is famously guarded in not allowing the media to publish their data, so we don’t have the full list of 50. However, Enverus shared the top three most prolific (by production) shale drillers for last year. Two of the top three are oil drillers in the Permian Basin (Exxon at #1, Occidental Petroleum at #3). However, at the #2 spot, nestled between those two, is Expand Energy, the new name for the combined Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy. Yes, a natural gas company (gas converted to barrels of oil equivalent) is the #2 most prolific producer in the entire country, beating out Oxy! Most of the gas Expand produces is produced in the Marcellus/Utica. Read More “Expand Energy Ranked #2 Most Prolific Shale Producer in 2024”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

30 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 30 – Jan 5

For the week of Dec 30 – Jan 5, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica rebounded from holiday lows. There were 30 new permits issued last week, up from just 12 issued the week before. The Keystone State (PA) issued nine new permits, with six going to Range Resources in Allegheny County and three to EQT, split between Lycoming and Washington counties. Read More “30 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 30 – Jan 5”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 16 – 22

For the week of Dec 16 – 22, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica remained healthy. There were 27 new permits issued last week, up from 22 issued the week before. In something of an unusual twist, the Keystone State (PA) issued just four new permits, all of them to different drillers. PennEnergy Resources’ permit was in Beaver County; Seneca Resources’ permit was in Tioga County; and Range Resources and EQT (Rice) each had one permit in Washington County. Read More “27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 16 – 22”

| | | | | | | | |

SRBC Approves 1 New, 3 Renewed Water Requests for Shale Drillers

The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals for responsible and safe shale drilling. Yesterday, the SRBC board approved 14 new (or renewed) water withdrawal requests within the basin, four for water used in drilling and fracking shale wells in Pennsylvania. Coterra Energy received two water request approvals, and Expand Energy (Chesapeake Energy & Southwestern Energy) received the other two. Read More “SRBC Approves 1 New, 3 Renewed Water Requests for Shale Drillers”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

12 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 25 – Dec 1

For the week of Nov 25 – Dec 1, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica dropped dramatically. Only 12 new permits were issued last week, less than half the 28 issued the week before. The Keystone State (PA) issued just two new permits, one to EQT in Greene County and the other to Range Resources in Washington County. The Buckeye State (OH) issued six new permits last week. All six went to Encino Energy (EAP), with four in Carroll County and two in Columbiana County. The Mountain State (WV) issued four new permits, three of which went to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Ohio County and one to Antero Resources in Tyler County. Read More “12 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 25 – Dec 1”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 18 – 24

For the week of Nov 18 – 24, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica continued to be strong, with 28 new permits issued, down just two from the 30 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) issued 11 new permits, with five going to CNX Resources, all in Allegheny County. Two permits were issued to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Lycoming County. The remaining four were single permits issued to EQT Corporation (Greene County), Infinity Natural Resources (Indiana County), Range Resources (Washington County), and Apex Energy (Westmoreland County). Read More “28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 18 – 24”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

SRBC Approved 1 New, 41 Renewed Water Requests for Shale Wells

The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals for responsible and safe shale drilling. The Pennsylvania Bulletin from this past Saturday (Nov. 23) carried an official notice from the SRBC that the agency’s Executive Director gave his approval to one new and 41 renewed general water use permits in October for individual shale gas wells in Bradford, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties. Read More “SRBC Approved 1 New, 41 Renewed Water Requests for Shale Wells”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

13 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 28 – Nov 3

For the week of Oct 27 – Nov 3, there were 13 permits issued to drill Marcellus/Utica wells, down from 17 permits issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had just three new permits, one each for EQT, Range Resources, and Snyder Brothers (three different counties). The Buckeye State (OH) issued no new permits last week. The Mountain State (WV) did most of the heavy lifting by issuing 10 new permits, with most of those (seven) going to Antero Resources in Tyler County. One permit each was issued to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy), HG Energy, and Marion Natural Energy. Read More “13 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 28 – Nov 3”

| |

Expand Energy Giving Double the Love to Haynesville Over M-U

The country’s new #1 natural gas producer, Expand Energy (formed from the merger of Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy), disclosed its third quarter update yesterday. While Expand has major operations in the Marcellus/Utica, it also has major operations in Haynesville. Right now, the company is giving double the love to the Haynesville as it is to our region. Expand currently operates 12 rigs, with eight in Haynesville and four in the M-U. It also operates six completion crews, evenly divided with three in Haynesville and three in the M-U. Expand plans to ax two rigs in the first quarter of next year if prices don’t improve. Read More “Expand Energy Giving Double the Love to Haynesville Over M-U”

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

SRBC Approved 20 Shale Water Withdrawal Requests in September

In September, the Executive Director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) renewed 20 water-use permits for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Susquehanna counties. We’re just learning of the action via an official notice published in the Oct. 26 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The approvals, which are NOT subject to public review according to SRBC regulations, are general water permits. Each site will be required to receive a specific water withdrawal approval at a later date. Read More “SRBC Approved 20 Shale Water Withdrawal Requests in September”

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

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

For the week of Oct 14 – 20, there were 14 permits issued to drill Marcellus/Utica wells, up from 10 permits issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had just four new permits (down from six the previous week), with three going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Susquehanna County and one for Seneca Resources in Lycoming County. The Buckeye State (OH) had seven new permits, with six going to Encino Energy (EAP) for two pads in Carroll County. The other OH permit was for Ascent Resources in Harrison County. The Mountain State (WV) issued three new permits, with all three going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Marshall County. Read More “14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 14 – 20”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 30 – Oct 6

There were 20 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, down eight from the 28 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had eight new permits, with five going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy following a merger with Chesapeake) in both Susquehanna and Wyoming counties. The other three permits went to Laurel Mountain Energy for a pad in Butler County. Read More “20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 30 – Oct 6”

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 23 – 29

There were 28 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 23 – 29, down slightly from the 32 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had 15 new permits, with seven of them going to Range Resources, most of them in Washington County. Three permits were issued to Chesapeake Energy in Bradford County, and two permits were issued to Southwestern Energy in Susquehanna County. As of Tuesday, Chesapeake and Southwestern combined in a merger to form Expand Energy (see Chesapeake & Southwestern Complete Merger; Now #1 U.S. Gas Driller). It’s going to take a while before the name change flows through to new permits, so we’ll keep reporting on the permits by their given names for now. Read More “28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 23 – 29”

| | | |

Chesapeake & Southwestern Complete Merger; Now #1 U.S. Gas Driller

Move over EQT Corporation, there’s a new number one natural gas producer in the U.S. Yesterday, Chesapeake Energy announced that its buyout of and merger with Southwestern Energy in a $7.4 billion deal was completed. The newly merged company was renamed Expand Energy Corporation and will begin trading on the NASDAQ stock market today under the ticker “EXE”. As of today, Expand produces more natural gas than EQT. The big difference is that Expand’s production comes from both the Marcellus/Utica and the Haynesville, whereas EQT’s production is 100% from the M-U. Read More “Chesapeake & Southwestern Complete Merger; Now #1 U.S. Gas Driller”