Utica Shale Gas-to-Liquids Plant Planned for Ashtabula, OH
Converting Marcellus and Utica Shale natural gas into liquids like solvents, lubricants and waxes–even diesel fuel–is starting to catch on. MDN previously told you about a “gas-to-liquids” (GTL) plant planned for the Altoona, PA area that will convert natural gas to diesel fuel (see Altoona Area Getting $200M Marcellus Gas-to-Liquids Plant). A chemical manufacturer in western PA is pursuing a GTL plant to create their own “feedstock”–raw chemical materials they need to produce other specialty chemicals (see Chemical Manufacturer to Build Gas-to-Liquids Plant in PA).
Now, word of the first GTL plant we’ve heard of planned in Ohio. The Ohio plant, if built, will also produce specialty chemicals…
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From time to time Athens County, OH pops up on the radar screen–mostly related to a misguided attempt by a few anti-drillers to ban fracking (see last month’s article 
Investors and those who watch the Utica Shale industry, including MDN, have long called on the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) to abandon annual reporting of gas and oil production and instead move to a more frequent reporting system–quarterly would be about right. Late last year MDN prematurely told you quarterly reporting was on the way (see 
An Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) representative told attendees at the YOUNG 2013 conference held this week in Youngstown that counties in southeastern Ohio are the “sweet spot” of the Utica Shale play because the pressure there is higher and because the shale layer includes an abundance of natural gas liquids. However, another speaker–an executive from CONSOL Energy–said counties in northeastern Ohio will continue to see successful drilling too. So don’t despair!