Lycoming County

Bradford County | Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain

Plugging in to Panda Power’s Electric Generation Supply Chain
April 9, 2014April 9, 2014

As we reported in December, Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX, purchased the rights to build two electric generating plants–one in Bradford County, PA and the other in Lycoming County, PA (see Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant). Construction on the Bradford County plant, dubbed Panda Liberty, is under way now. Panda is spending northward of $1.3 billion to build the two plants–an incredible amount of money that’s being pumped into the northeastern Pennsylvania economy.

MDN spotted an article that mentions Panda and their projects, including the two PA electric plants. The reason that we bring it to you is that it provides background on the vendors Panda is using to build the plants. Which may be of interest to companies that would like to plug into the supply chain and see if they can drum up some business from these two projects…
Read More “Plugging in to Panda Power’s Electric Generation Supply Chain”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | PVR Midstream

ULS Says PVR Marcellus Bankrupted Their Company by Not Paying
March 28, 2014March 28, 2014

Utility Line Services Inc. (ULS), a company that does construction work for utility companies–like digging trenches and laying pipeline–is suing PVR Marcellus Gas Gathering in a Delaware County, PA court. ULS says PVR owes them more than $17.7 million in unpaid invoices and another $7.8 million in lost profits. The lawsuit stems from work done by ULS for PVR in laying 17 miles of pipeline in Lycoming County. Like all lawsuits, this one is a bit complicated, but essentially ULS says PVR slowed and then stopped payments, even though the pipeline was completed and gas now flows through it.

Both companies are pointing the finger at the other saying the other company was responsible for obtaining certain permits, and lack of those permits caused delays and increased costs in overtime and project overruns. Unfortunately PVR’s lack of payments to ULS has bankrupted ULS. They’ve closed their doors, laid off 600 workers and sold their equipment at auction. Not a happy ending. Here’s the story behind the lawsuit just getting under way and expected to run for at least three weeks in Delaware County Common Pleas Court…
Read More “ULS Says PVR Marcellus Bankrupted Their Company by Not Paying”
Cameron County | Elk County | Energy Companies | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Upper Devonian Shale

Seneca Drills First Upper Devonian Well with Impressive Results
March 25, 2014March 25, 2014

Seneca Resources, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Buffalo-based National Fuel Gas Company, reports drilling their very first Upper Devonian shale well in Lycoming County, PA. The results are impressive: a peak 24-hour production rate of 14.1 million cubic feet (MMcf) per day, and an average 8.6 MMcf per day during its first 30 days. The Upper Devonian (UD) is a number of shale layers lumped together under one umbrella name. The specific layer targeted by Seneca for their first UD well is the Geneseo rock layer.

Word of Seneca’s success in the UD comes as part of an operational update issued by National Fuel Gas yesterday. Another gem in the update: Seneca has just completed drilling a 9-well pad and is almost finished drilling a 6-well pad. Here’s the full update from Seneca with the exciting UD news…
Read More “Seneca Drills First Upper Devonian Well with Impressive Results”
Anadarko | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Protesters Shut Down Anadarko Drill Site in Lycoming County, PA
March 21, 2014March 21, 2014

The very twisted philosophy of so-called “Earth First” group members seems to be that humans are an infestation on Mother Earth, hence the name (full of self-loathing people, apparently). A group of Earth Firsters, most of them not from Pennsylvania, protested and shut down an Anadarko Petroleum drilling site in PA yesterday. Anadarko owns leases land in the Tiadaghton State Forest in Lycoming County, PA where they have an active drilling site (near Williamsport). Three of the protesters locked themselves to a solid concrete pipe embedded with shrapnel that reached across the road blocking the way to the drill site. The protesters had to be cut free at great personal danger to themselves and the first responders who cut them free. Five protesters in all were arrested.

MDN received exclusive photos from someone at the scene (below). We’ve also located a video showing the shrapnel embedded in a solid concrete pipe–and the gentle care the local first responders took in protecting the protesters as they cut them free. First responders put their own lives at risk to free these idiots. We would have been far less gentle (picking the whole thing up with a forklift and dropping it on the side of the road–with these kooks attached–comes to mind). Read the news, look at the photos, and be sure to watch the video below to see what we’re up against with extreme Earth First nutters…
Read More “Protesters Shut Down Anadarko Drill Site in Lycoming County, PA”
Anadarko | Energy Companies | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Syndicated Columnist’s Eyes Opened by Marcellus Shale Drilling
March 10, 2014March 10, 2014

Syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock visited an Anadarko Petroleum Marcellus Shale drilling site in Lycoming County, PA last year to see first-hand what happens when a well gets drilled. As he puts it, at the time it was a “cyclone of equipment, personnel and activity.” Four months later he returned to the same location. And what did he see? Three acres of a well pad with five wellheads sticking up a few feet and a “constant, mild hiss.” The sound of natural gas being harvested.

Here is Murdock’s first-hand account of what he experienced upon his return, and what it means for our nation at large…
Read More “Syndicated Columnist’s Eyes Opened by Marcellus Shale Drilling”
Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Citrus | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County | Washington County

PA Gas Production #s Released: Top 10 Wells, Top 5 Counties & More!
February 19, 2014February 19, 2014

Pennsylvania released their second half 2013 production numbers yesterday and man oh man is it another sizzling hot report. Another 700 horizontal (mostly Marcellus) shale wells were brought online in the second half of 2013 in PA which brings the number of horizontal wells with reported production to 5,074. And, in what we believe is a first, Susquehanna County has displaced Bradford County as having the most production during a 6-month reporting period.

Not surprisingly Cabot Oil & Gas and their prolific wells in Susquehanna County top the list as most productive. Get this, when you look at average daily production by wells, Cabot has the top 13 most productive wells in the state for 2H13–all top 13 spots. When you expand it out, they have 17 of the top 20 spots, and 34 of the top 50 spots. Truly astonishing.

Below we have a few lists for you: Top 10 All Time Producing Wells in PA, Top 10 Wells by Production per Day, and the amount of gas produced by the top 5 counties in PA…
Read More “PA Gas Production #s Released: Top 10 Wells, Top 5 Counties & More!”
Bradford County | Energy Services | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Preston County | PVR Midstream | PVR Partners | West Virginia | Wyoming County (PA)

PVR Partners Marcellus Pipeline Flows Increase 60% in 1 Year
January 14, 2014January 14, 2014

Midstream company PVR Partners issued an update yesterday to brag about their Marcellus operations–and well they should. Average throughput on the PVR “Eastern Midstream Systems” increased 60%, from 1.1 billion cubic feet per day average in December 2012 to 1.8 Bcf/d in December 2013. They also completed a total of 101 well connections in 2013 for the Eastern Midstream area.

PVR’s Eastern Midstream includes operations in Lycoming, Wyoming, Bradford and Greene counties in Pennsylvania, and Preston County in West Virginia. Here’s the full PVR update with more details:
Read More “PVR Partners Marcellus Pipeline Flows Increase 60% in 1 Year”
Crime | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Seismic Testing

Final Chapter in GPX Saga of Using Illegals in PA Marcellus
January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

We thought the final chapter had been written about GPX, a Texas-based seismic surveying company doing work in Pennsylvania for the oil and gas industry that was caught using illegal aliens to work on their surveying crews. Last March we told you the company admitted to the scheme and agreed to pay out some big money (see GPX Pleads Guilty in Using Illegal Aliens for PA Marcellus Work).

It’s taken 10 long months, but on Thursday in a federal courtroom in Harrisburg, PA the final chapter really will be written:
Read More “Final Chapter in GPX Saga of Using Illegals in PA Marcellus”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant
December 23, 2013December 23, 2013

In August, MDN told you that Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX had purchased the right from Moxie Energy to build the first new electric generating plant that will run exclusively on Marcellus Shale gas, to be built in Bradford County, PA (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power). Construction started on the “Panda Liberty” project in August of this year and it expected to take about 30 months to complete.

Panda announced last Friday they have purchased a second set of permits from Moxie Energy for a second electric generating plant that will run on Marcellus Shale gas–this one in Lycoming County, PA (southwest of Bradford County, but close by to the first project). This new, second project will be called Panda Patriot, adopting the Patriot name Moxie was using for the project. Here are the particulars from Panda:
Read More “Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant”
Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Chief Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Sullivan County | Susquehanna County | Wyoming County (PA)

Chief O&G Buys 210K Acres/Operations in NE PA from Chesapeake
December 18, 2013December 18, 2013

Chief Oil & Gas announced yesterday that they’ve purchased 210,000 Marcellus Shale acres from Chesapeake Energy in northeast Pennsylvania. Along with the acreage comes 130,000 million cubic feet per day of natural gas production and 40 wells waiting to be completed and/or connected to a pipeline. This doubles the amount of Marcellus acreage for Chief.

The big question is, does this mean Chesapeake has now completely exited the Marcellus in northeast PA? It may well (we’re not sure). Here’s the statement by Chief about their deal with Chesapeake:
Read More “Chief O&G Buys 210K Acres/Operations in NE PA from Chesapeake”
Bradford County | Energy Services | Eureka Resources | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Wastewater

2 NE PA Wastewater Recycling Plants Get Upgrades
December 13, 2013March 7, 2019

The Marcellus Shale wastewater recycling plants in Williamsport and Towanda, PA, operated by Eureka Resources, have been upgraded. A crystallizer and a methanol recovery system have been installed at both plants allowing Eureka to separate out minerals and compounds that they have been trucking to Ohio for disposal in an injection well. The side benefit: They’ll now begin producing and selling oil, methanol and sodium chloride–a new revenue stream for the plants.

The two plants will bring the new upgrades online in January…
Read More “2 NE PA Wastewater Recycling Plants Get Upgrades”
Bradford County | Energy Companies | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Southwestern Energy | Sullivan County | Susquehanna County | Tioga County (PA) | Wyoming County (PA)

Southwestern Energy’s Board Changes, Marcellus Plans for 2014
December 11, 2013December 11, 2013

Some fairly big news from one of the Marcellus Shale’s largest drillers–Southwestern Energy. In a flurry of announcements issued yesterday, we learn that Southwestern’s President & CEO, Steve Mueller, will take over as Chairman of the Board next May when current Chairman Harold Korell retires. Mueller plans to keep the title of CEO but apparently he will shed the title of President, so that begs the question, who will become Southwestern’s new president next year? Interestingly (perhaps related?) Southwestern also announced yesterday the promotion of Jeffrey Sherrick to the position of Executive Vice President for Corporate Development. Hmmm.

In addition to personnel announcements, Southwestern issued a guidance statement about their plans for capital spending in 2014. The statement indicates Marcellus production will increase by a whopping 60% next year. Southwestern’s estimated Marcellus production for 2013 is 148-149 billion cubic feet (Bcf). Next year they expect it will be 244-249 Bcf based on superb well performance in Bradford, Lycoming and Susquehanna counties. Southwestern boasts that one of their Susquehanna County wells achieved an initial production of 32 million cubic feet per day! In 2014 Southwestern plans to begin drilling in three additional northeastern PA counties…
Read More “Southwestern Energy’s Board Changes, Marcellus Plans for 2014”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Is the Marcellus Already Going Bust in Lycoming County, PA?
November 25, 2013November 25, 2013

Has the Marcellus Shale drilling industry already going bust? If you read the headlines of say, oh, the Philadelphia Inquirer, that may be the conclusion you reach. But if you read beyond the headlines you’ll find a different story.

The number of drilling rigs in the Marcellus is down a bit from what it was a year or two ago, that’s for sure. With less drilling comes less of a lot of other things needed for drilling (hotel visits, construction, security, catering, etc.). However, it may be more accurate to view the Marcellus drilling industry as more like taking a breather. Regrouping. Assessing. One thing is for sure, although some parts of the Marcellus drilling industry may have dipped (not gone bust, but slowed a bit), other parts of it are just picking up steam. A better metaphor is “ebb and flow”…
Read More “Is the Marcellus Already Going Bust in Lycoming County, PA?”
Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Wastewater | XTO

PA AG Pressures Judge to Step Aside in XTO Spill Case
November 5, 2013November 5, 2013

A quick update on the political persecution being shamefully conducted by Pennsylvania’s new Attorney General Kathleen Kane against XTO Energy (see PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO). Kane is attempting to turn a 3 year-old accidental spill into a criminal case–beyond imagination.

Kane continues to abuse her power. She has pressured the judge who would have heard the XTO case to recuse himself because he has a share/interest in a gas lease. The judge’s lease is not with XTO, but that’s not good enough for anti-drilling Kane. She wanted him gone–so he’s gone…
Read More “PA AG Pressures Judge to Step Aside in XTO Spill Case”
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”
Cameron County | Elk County | Energy Companies | Forest County | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources

Seneca Resources Reports Production Up 35% Thanks to Marcellus
October 22, 2013October 22, 2013

Seneca Resources, the drilling arm of National Fuel Gas Company, issued their fiscal 4th quarter (everyone else’s calendar 3rd quarter) operations update yesterday. Seneca is one of the major drillers in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. They report production for 4Q was up a very healthy 35% over the same period last year. They credit their Marcellus drilling program in Lycoming County, PA for that success.

Because of their success, Seneca has revised up their guidance (best guess) for how much natural gas they’ll produce this fiscal year–to 145-165 billion cubic feet (Bcf). The full report from Seneca, including initial production rates from some of their recently drilled wells…
Read More “Seneca Resources Reports Production Up 35% Thanks to Marcellus”