Using “Digital Twins” in Marcellus to Improve Well Performance
We have to confess this was a new one for us. We happened across a story about the use of “digital twins” in the energy space and how the use of digital twins is “transforming operations in North America.” So, what the heck is/are digital twins? According to the article, a digital twin is “a virtual replica of a physical process, asset, or system.” More simply, a digital twin is a digital re-creation of a physical environment, like a well pad, pipeline, or other oil and gas infrastructure. It’s a digital model that allows the user to do “what if” scenarios to predict what may happen. One of the companies mentioned in the article that’s using digital twins in the Marcellus is Equinor (formerly known as Statoil, Norway’s largest state-owned oil company). Read More “Using “Digital Twins” in Marcellus to Improve Well Performance”
The left can no longer hide the truth, as they have tried to do for years. The truth is, with the advent of data centers and artificial intelligence and their enormous demand for new electricity, there is only one solution that will work, at least in the next 10-20 years: natural gas power. A Democrat-controlled panel from the Virginia legislature commissioned an independent study of how to power data centers. Northern Virginia has the highest concentration of data centers globally and remains the fastest-growing market for data centers in the country. The state must plan for how to get power to operate all of those installations. The independent study concluded that the only practical solution is to use natural gas-fired power plants. 
Oil wildcatting is the process of drilling exploratory wells in areas with little to no history of oil and gas production. Wildcatting is a high-risk activity that involves drilling in unproven or fully depleted areas. Wildcat wells are often drilled far from other wells and without the use of well logs or other geological data. Wildcatting can be profitable—or spectacularly unprofitable. A recent Hart Energy article reports that “wildcatting is back.” The very first part of the article focuses on wildcatting that is happening in the Ohio Utica Shale. 
MDN reported that in early October that Infinity Natural Resources (INR) filed an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) hoping to raise $100 million (see 
Iroquois Gas Transmission’s Enhancement by Compression (ExC) project would increase horsepower at three compression stations — two in New York and one in Connecticut — by an extra 125 MMcf/d, to flow more Marcellus/Utica gas into New York City and New England. The two NY compressors include one in Dover and one in Athens. The CT compressor is located in Brookfield. The left, via the odious Food & Water Watch, has made a concerted effort to block the two NY compressor station upgrades (see 
You can go crazy trying to forecast where the price of natural gas is heading—and why. Lately the price has stayed above $3/MMBtu. That’s always a happy thing. Will the price stay continue to stay above $3? Will it go up even more? Or fall below $3? Are the “bulls” (those who think the price will go higher) or the “bears” (those who believe the price will go lower) in charge at this point? These are all great questions, and the answer is, “It depends on who you read and listen to.” 
In January, Joementia announced a “pause” on any approvals for new LNG export plants (currently 17 requests in the pipeline) for at least one year while his people pretend to figure out how to measure global warming as a new consideration for whether or not to approve a project (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Encino Acquisition Partners board of directors adds Brent Smolik; Rulli named to House Energy and Commerce Committee; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Consumers Energy announces new plan to continue upgrading Michigan’s natural gas system; Abbott says Texas economy will top France’s thanks to Trump; NATIONAL: Biden-Harris admin backs lawsuits against O&G for global warming; U.S. LNG exports buzzing, with 27 shipments setting sail from U.S. terminals; Trump’s climate threats rattle world’s biggest science meeting; Inflation Reduction Act’s energy provisions a prime target to reduce government waste; Trump SEC pick wants to ditch landmark climate disclosure rule; INTERNATIONAL: Oil prices settle lower on China demand concerns; New retrofit lets micro-turbines burn both hydrogen and natural gas. 
The Baker Hughes national rig count dramatically increased two weeks ago, adding seven rigs for a national count of 589 (see 
We’ve brought you the news (a number of times) of how Encino Energy was the first driller to figure out how to coax large quantities of oil from the Ohio Utica Shale (see 
The Kosciusko Junction Pipeline Project, led by Gulf South Pipeline Company, LLC (a subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipelines), involves constructing approximately 110 miles of 36-inch natural gas pipeline. The project has an estimated cost of $1 billion and is supported by a 20-year agreement with an anchor customer. It is designed to transport up to 1.16 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) initially, with potential for expansion to 1.58 Bcf/d. The pipeline aims to connect gas supplies from key basins, including the Marcellus/Utica, Haynesville, and Fayetteville, to power markets in the Southeastern United States. Last week, Boardwalk pulled the trigger and made a final investment decision (FID) to move forward with the Kosciusko Junction project. 
A December 11 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) inspection of a shale gas well pad and water impoundment owned by Nucomer Energy LLC in Hickory Township, Forest County, found the company still had not done final cleanup of the site more than 12 years after the wells were completed and 33 months after DEP issued the original violations for failure to restore the site. While we won’t defend noncompliance, the big story is why in the world the DEP didn’t follow up on the original construction from 12 years ago, and why, after issuing a notice of violation in April 2022, it took another 33 months before the DEP returned to check. Is the DEP asleep at the switch?! 
As we told you on Friday, it was looking like Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG export facility (Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana) would start to liquefy natural gas as early as Friday (see 
WhiteHawk Energy is smitten with PHX Minerals. For the last 16 months, WhiteHawk has been trying to get PHX down the marriage aisle in any way it can. PHX has repeatedly given WhiteHawk the cold shoulder. WhiteHawk’s latest attempt, which we told you about in November, was an appeal to PHX shareholders to pressure the board to sell at $4 per share (see