Belmont County | Energy Services | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Processing Plants | PTT Global
On-Hold PTT Ohio Cracker Still Teases – Claims Will Be Net-Zero CO2
In August, PTT Global Chemical finally came clean and admitted there will be no final investment decision (FID) to build a $10 billion ethane cracker plant project in Belmont County, OH, until they secure a partner to help finance the project (see PTT Finally Admits Truth – Ohio Cracker Project on Indefinite Hold). In other words, the Ohio cracker is on indefinite hold. Yet the company via its U.S. spokesman continues to tease and offer up hope the project will happen.
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Last week Pennsylvania issued 21 permits to drill new shale wells. Most of the permits went to two well pads, one in Butler County drilled by PennEnergy Resources and the other in Tioga County drilled by Repsol. Ohio issued six new permits, three to Encino Energy, two to Utica Resource Operating, and one to Ascent Resources. West Virginia, for the second week in a row, issued just one new permit. Last week’s WV permit went to Tug Hill Operating in Marshall County.
Everyone is scratching their heads trying to figure out why, given the price natural gas is fetching in both the futures and physical spot price market, natural gas drillers don’t drill more wells. The excuse given is that budgets are cast, plans made, and by gosh companies are finally showing fiscal discipline and sticking to their plans because if they don’t, investors will scream bloody murder. The last time we checked investors don’t mind spending a little more money to drill new wells if it puts more money in their pockets! That message finally seems to be getting through. Yesterday U.S. natural gas production surged to its highest level since late August (when Hurricane Ida struck, shutting down natgas production in the Gulf). Most of the gains came from more production in the Marcellus/Utica.
For whatever reason, the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) is behaving like a child with its heels dug in, refusing to do what it’s supposed to do. In July 2019 MDN told you about New Jersey-based Omni Energy Group and their application to build two new injection wells near St. Clairsville (see 
On August 30, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) issued permits to Powhatan Salt Company/Mountaineer NGL Storage for three planned solution mining wells in Monroe County. The three salt caverns will store NGLs (natural gas liquids, mainly ethane) to potentially be used by ethane crackers including the Shell cracker near Pittsburgh and potentially a second ethane cracker proposed by PTT Global Chemical in Belmont County. The salt caverns can also be used to store hydrogen (H2).
Yesterday Antero Resources announced the publication of its 2020 ESG Report (environmental, social, governance) highlighting a focus on People, Performance, and Purpose. The report details Antero Resources’ ongoing commitment to the communities in which it operates, safe operations, environmental excellence, and strong governance. Frankly, we could care less about ESG programs–an attempt to impress people who will never be impressed with the extraordinary efforts made by fossil fuel companies to respect the environment. What caught our eye in Antero’s report is the amount of money the company invested in West Virginia and Ohio, where it drills for liquids and gas.
The Ohio Power Siting Board recently approved a new, tiny 16-mile pipeline project in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio called the Columbia Gas Northern Loop Project. According to Columbia Gas, communities north and west of Columbus are thriving. Since the 1990s, Columbia has expanded its system to keep service reliable by bringing gas from the west and south. However, they are reaching the limits of what’s possible with the existing gas system. A new supply of gas is urgently needed to maintain reliable service in this area. The Northern Loop Project will meet this demand by connecting to gas supplies on the east side of Columbus.
A healthy number of permits were issued to drill new shale wells across the Marcellus/Utica region last week. Pennsylvania issued 19 new permits in both southwest and northeast PA. Ohio issued 8 new permits, all of them to a single driller (Ascent Resources) for two well pads in two different counties. West Virginia issued 9 new permits–all but 2 of them were issued to Antero Resources in Tyler County.
Spoiled rotten kids who never receive an occasional spank spank when they throw a temper tantrum while growing up, grow up to be spoiled rotten young adults. That’s what we’re seeing at the overpriced Ohio State University (OSU) where a group of petulant students is demanding the university stop construction work on a combined heat and power plant (CHP) project in the next 72 hours, or else…
Thanks to a sharp MDN reader/friend, we were alerted to a rather bizarre situation with the current issue of the Youngstown Business Journal. Once upon a time, the YBJ wrote encouraging (and accurate) stories about the Utica Shale industry and its many benefits in the Buckeye State. Lately, the YBJ has been taking potshots at the Utica, claiming it hasn’t panned out as advertised. Take the latest MidSeptember edition where two articles appear. One article boldly states that after 10 years there is “No Gusher of Jobs” in the Utica. Yet another article contradicts the first and states, “It’s Construction Jobs in Gas and Oil.” Bizarre.
Ohio’s House Bill (HB) 6 law granted billions (plural) of dollars to FirstEnergy in an attempt to prop up the company’s economically failing nuclear power plants. FirstEnergy bribed state legislators to pass, and keep passed, HB 6 by paying out $61 million to a small group of insiders, including the now-former Speaker of the House (see 
Gulfport Energy, the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled), emerged from bankruptcy in May with a new board and new top management (see