Study Proves Solar is 10X More Expensive than NatGas for Electric
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” That quote is attributed to Adolf Hitler, a master of lying propaganda. The environmental left is also a master at lying propaganda. Like this lie: “Solar is now ‘cheapest electricity in history’, confirms IEA.” That’s a lie. We have the receipts to prove it’s a lie. The Heartland Institute, one of the world’s leading free-market think tanks, recently analyzed all major forms of energy used to produce electricity, comparing apples with apples. The clear low-cost winner is natural gas—some 10 times cheaper than the price of solar energy. Read More “Study Proves Solar is 10X More Expensive than NatGas for Electric”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Expand Energy donates $20,000 to Wetzel County emergency services; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Oglethorpe selects GE Vernova’s tech for new natgas plant; Mass. orders utilities to spend less ratepayer money on natural gas pipelines; New Plaquemines LNG terminal hit record highs on feedgas demand; NATIONAL: US shale to plateau if oil stays in current range, ConocoPhillips CEO says; U.S. natural gas jumps back up on short covering; INTERNATIONAL: WTI, Brent edge lower in choppy trade; China’s LNG traders embrace new role as global swing suppliers; Woodside sees global natural gas demand surging by 50% by 2030. 
In March 2024, we reported that two Democrats and one anti-drilling RINO who run Bucks County, PA government (a Philadelphia suburb) fell for the bait by Big Green and filed a lawsuit against Big Oil companies for supposedly, knowingly, causing the Earth to toast to a cinder (see 
EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in the U.S. (with international operations in Trinidad and China), owns nearly half a million acres of leases in the Ohio Utica (~460,000 acres). EOG calls its position the “Ohio Utica combo play” and considers it one of the company’s “premium” and “emerging” plays. EOG concentrates on oil drilling in the Utica. During the company’s first quarter 2025 update in early May, we learned that EOG is cutting $200 million from its 2025 spending plan, believing Trump’s tariffs will lead to a slowdown in oil demand. However, the company is not cutting spending or work in the Utica. 
Yesterday, the NYMEX “front month” natural gas price index got whacked and whacked good. The price sank $0.221 from the previous day, down to a closing price of 3.113/MMBtu. Below-average temperatures are forecasted in most of the eastern half of the country over the next 6-10 days, meaning less use of natgas for cooling. Production is steady, and gas heading into storage is forecasted to be high. The bottom line is that too much supply for not enough demand is sinking prices. The question is, how low will the price go? Will we once again break through the $3 barrier? 
In January, MDN brought you the news that TECfusions, based in Tampa, Florida, had purchased 1,395 acres in Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County), PA, for a groundbreaking data center project called TECfusions Keystone Connect (see 
The data center high tide is lifting all gas drilling boats. That’s according to a new study from S&P Global Commodity Insights that finds the expectations of a coming boom in demand for electricity for data centers, which will create a boom in demand for natural gas to produce the electricity, is causing gas drilling companies to increase in value. It’s hard to accurately quantify the value for private companies, but for public companies (those with stock that trade on the open market), we can confirm that over the past year, the value for drillers with significant operations in the Marcellus/Utica has, on average, risen dramatically. 
In January 2024, the sleazeballs that operated Joe Biden’s autopen slapped a “pause” on allowing the Department of Energy (DOE) to review and issue export approvals for any new LNG export facilities (see 
The U.S. national rig count lost two more rigs last week, going from 578 to 576, tying January 24th of this year as the lowest national rig count in the past 12 months. Rigs targeting the Marcellus layer remained the same with 25 rigs last week, while the Utica (in Ohio) picked up one rig and now operates 11 rigs for a combined total of 36. Pennsylvania was static with 18 rigs, Ohio moved up from nine to ten rigs, and West Virginia remained the same with eight rigs. 
Ascent Resources, founded as American Energy Partners by gas legend Aubrey McClendon, is a privately held company focusing 100% on the Ohio Utica Shale. Ascent, headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, is Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S. The company issued its first quarter 2025 update on May 7. 1Q25 net production averaged 2,002 MMcfe/d (2.0 Bcfe/d), consisting of 1,680 MMcf/d of natural gas, 13,833 bbls/d of oil, and 39,789 bbls/d of natural gas liquids (NGLs), putting liquids at 16% of the overall production mix for the quarter. 
Last November, MDN brought you the great news that MPLX (aka MarkWest Energy) would file to build an expansion at its existing Harmon Creek facility in Smith Township, Washington County, PA (see 
In January 2024, MDN told you about a long-closed landfill that seeks to reopen in Liberty and Pine Townships in Mercer County, PA (see 
ECA Marcellus Trust I, the royalty interest holder in some of the wells drilled and maintained by Greylock Energy in Greene County, PA, announced on May 9 that it will issue a 5.2-cent dividend to unitholders for the first quarter of 2025. The company continues to hold back some profits ($90,000 in 1Q25) to build a cash reserve for “future known, anticipated or contingent expenses or liabilities.” 
Last December, MDN told you that the future of what could become the country’s largest LNG export facility, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2), was in question following a court order from the the leftwing U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (see 
Last week, two different quasi-governmental agencies, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), issued summer assessments for whether or not the country could experience problems with having enough electric power for this summer. Both assessments conclude the same thing: IF we don’t have any extreme weather events, and if unreliable renewable sources like solar and wind don’t crap out for an extended period, we’ll be fine. However, if we do have a hot spell or solar/wind fail, we’re in trouble. In particular, New England and the central part of the country from top to bottom are at most risk. However, even the PJM area could experience some problems.