Shale Gas News – March 11, 2023

shale gas news
Shale Gas NewsBill desRosiers
External Affairs Coordinator, Coterra Energy
Host, Shale Gas News

The Shale Gas News, heard every Saturday at 10 AM on 94.3 FM, 1510 AM, 1600 AM, 104.1 FM and Sundays on YesFM, talked about Rig counts, royalty payments, Encino Energy and much more last week.

The Shale Gas News has grown again to the Williamsport area on stations WEJS 1600 AM & 104.1 FM. The Shale Gas News is now broadcasting in Bradford, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wayne Counties, as well as in greater central PA and now the Williamsport area. The Shale Gas News is aired on Saturday or Sunday depending on the station.

Every Saturday Rusty Fender, Matt Henderson and I host a morning radio show to discuss all things shale gas.

Shale Gas News

The Shale Gas News, typically, is broadcast live. On the March 11th show (click above), we covered the following new natural gas territory (see news excerpts below):

  • Southwestern Spends More on Haynesville, but M-U Produces More. Southwestern Energy used to be a pure-play Marcellus/Utica driller until it picked up leases and wells in the Louisiana Haynesville play in 2021. Last Friday, the company issued its fourth quarter and full-year 2022 update. The update shows Southwestern now gives more love (i.e., money) to Haynesville drilling than it does to Marcellus/Utica drilling, even though the M-U produces more gas than the company’s Haynesville assets.
  • Chesapeake Energy Update: Cutting Rig Count & Production in 2023. Chesapeake Energy issued its quarterly and 2022 annual update yesterday. The company drills primarily for natural gas in both the Marcellus and Haynesville shale plays. Chesapeake’s net production in 4Q22 was approximately 4.05 Bcfe/d (90% natural gas and 10% total liquids), utilizing an average of 14 rigs to drill 58 wells and place 66 wells on production. That was for drilling across all of its shale plays, including the oily Eagle Ford. However, given the crash in prices for natural gas, CEO Nick Dell’Osso said the company is cutting rigs this year–axing two rigs in the Haynesville and one in the Marcellus.
  • Encino Energy Utica Update: 900K+ Acres, Drilling Under Tappan Lake. Yesterday morning Harrison County, OH, commissioners got a face-to-face update from Encino Energy’s director of external affairs, Jackie Stewart. You may recall that Encino bought out and took over. Among the comments made, Stewart told commissioners, “Our wells are running so much more efficiently than they ever have in the past.” She also told them about work being done to drill a well under Tappan Lake in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
  • PA Supreme Court to Address Royalty Post-Production Deduction Issue. On February 15, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania agreed to hear the case Dressler Family, LP v. PennEnergy Resources, LLC, a case addressing the question of whether Pennsylvania is an “at-the-well” jurisdiction, or a “first-marketable product” jurisdiction. The case may have profound implications for Pennsylvania landowners and drillers. The issue in this case revolves around whether or not a driller is allowed to deduct expenses from royalty payments for transporting and cleaning up natural gas between the well and the point of sale. Can a driller claim post-production deductions even if there are clauses that prohibit them?
  • Rumor: Oil Driller Pioneer Negotiating to Buy Range Resources. The rumor mill kicked into overdrive on Friday when Bloomberg published an article saying Pioneer Natural Resources Co., one the largest independent oil producers in the U.S., is considering (negotiating for) an acquisition of Marcellus driller Range Resources Corp., according to “people familiar with the matter.” Range was the very first company to drill a Marcellus shale well back in 2004 in western Pennsylvania. By the end of Friday, Pioneer issued an abrupt statement saying it “is not contemplating a significant business combination or other acquisition transaction.” It wasn’t an outright denial that such talks are taking place. Range could not be reached for comment.

The Shale Gas News sponsored by Linde Corporation

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