EQT Announces Deal to *Buy* LNG from Rio Grande LNG Train 5
Last week, we told you that EQT Corporation announced it had contracted with Sempra’s Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 project in Jefferson County, Texas, to buy 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from the facility for a 20-year term (see EQT Announces Deal to *Buy* LNG from Sempra’s Port Arthur LNG). We also reported (in that post) the rumor that EQT was deep in talks with another facility, NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG export facility in Texas, to buy LNG. The rumor was true. Yesterday, both EQT and NextDecade announced a signed deal. Read More “EQT Announces Deal to *Buy* LNG from Rio Grande LNG Train 5”
Earlier this year, a video circulated on social media featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” intentionally rushing to get billions of tax dollars out of the agency before Inauguration Day. The EPA’s new sheriff, Lee Zeldin, located $20 billion of those gold bars sitting at a Citibank bank account (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: So…what’s happening with your electricity bill?; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: California geothermal lease sales net $117/acre; New York’s green energy fantasy continues; NATIONAL: US DOE earmarks $35 million to support emerging energy tech; Mitsubishi to double gas turbine production in response to data center demand; U.S. E&Ps tilt cash allocation to maintain solid balance sheets; ConocoPhillips is latest U.S. oil producer to announce major layoffs; INTERNATIONAL: Oil slides on OPEC+ output speculation; Russia’s natgas & coal exports decreasing, shifting toward Asia; Norway says pump it up on oil and gas for now. 
In May, pipeline giant Williams filed a 246-page request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expedite the reissuance of a certificate for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, a billion-dollar-plus project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets (see 
Coming out of left field, Enbridge (based in Canada, owner of significant Marcellus/Utica pipeline assets) announced yesterday that it had reached a final investment decision (FID) on two new pipeline projects, one of which will flow an additional 75 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Marcellus/Utica molecules through the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline throughout New England and the northeast. The project is called the Algonquin Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (AGT Enhancement) project and is estimated to cost $300 million for “system upgrades within, or adjacent to, existing rights-of-way.” 
Eureka Resources and its now shuttered three frack wastewater treatment plants continue to be under the microscope of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In August, one of the three facilities, located in Williamsport, PA (Lycoming County), leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
On Oct. 1, 2024, Chesapeake Energy announced that its buyout of and merger with Southwestern Energy in a $7.4 billion deal had been completed (see 
Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company (Warren Buffett’s company), filed a new project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in July (see 
In August 2025, the United States achieved a brand new record high in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, exporting 9.33 million metric tons—surpassing April’s previous record of 9.25 million and July’s 9.1 million—as plants returned from maintenance and Venture Global’s Plaquemines facility expanded output. Plaquemines, a 27.2 MTPA plant that began operations in December 2024, contributed 1.6 million tons, or 17% of the total, and is expected to be fully operational in September. Europe took 6.16 million tons (66%, up from 58% in July) amid lower storage levels, while exports to Asia fell to 1.47 million tons. Egypt imported 0.57 million tons, and Latin America’s imports dropped to 0.69 million tons, with 0.37 million tons unallocated. 
Two weeks ago, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count resumed a downward trend, which continued last week. The count lost another two rigs to end the week at 536. The count has been down (bleeding) 16 of the last 18 weeks. Fortunately, the Marcellus/Utica count has remained constant for the past six weeks, at a combined 36 active rigs. PA operated 18 active rigs. OH ran 11 rigs. And WV operated 7 rigs. Twenty-four rigs targeted the Marcellus and 12 rigs targeted the Utica last week. The overall downward trend in the national count is due to a slowdown in oil-focused drilling, although last week’s figures reversed this trend. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by one to 412 last week, while gas rigs fell by three to 119. 
Wow! Here’s a bombshell rumor. Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, is preparing to market its Ohio Utica assets, hoping to fetch $900 million to $1 billion. That’s according to an exclusive report by Hart Energy, which spoke to “multiple sources” who requested anonymity. Antero owns 82,000 acres of leases in the Utica/Point Pleasant shale of eastern Ohio, in “the most prolific part of the play,” according to the company’s website. 
Some interesting comments about the “deep” Utica Shale in Pennsylvania were made during last week’s Hart Energy DUG Appalachia event, held in Pittsburgh. Including this one, from Mike Hillebrand, CEO of Huntley & Huntley: “The deep Utica, watch out folks. The deep Utica will probably be the next up-and-coming deep shale play here in Pennsylvania.” Hillebrand also broke some big news by announcing Huntley & Huntley, which recently completed the sale of its Olympus Energy subsidiary to EQT for $1.8 billion, is working on its next startup, which will focus on “deep Utica and Tier II Marcellus.” 
The Iroquois Gas Transmission’s Enhancement by Compression (ExC) project will 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 compressor expansions include one in Dover and one in Athens. The CT compressor expansion is located in Brookfield. Another CT compressor will get minor upgrades (gas cooling, no extra compression) in Milford. The NY DEC approved the permits for the NY compressors with the condition that Iroquois pays a $1.5 million contribution to the “Disadvantaged Community Benefit Program” (see