EOG Continues Testing Utica Wells, Tries 700-Foot Spacing

EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in the U.S. (with international operations in Trinidad and China), owns nearly a half million acres of leases in the Ohio Utica. EOG calls its position the “Ohio Utica combo play” and now considers it one of the company’s “premium plays.” EOG concentrates on oil…

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Southwestern Spent $430M in 2Q to Drill 30 Wells, Incl. 16 in M-U

Southwestern Energy, with major assets in the Marcellus/Utica and Louisiana Haynesville, issued its second quarter update last week. You may recall that Southwestern agreed earlier this year to a deal to be acquired by and merged into Chesapeake Energy (see Deal is Done! Chesapeake & Southwestern Announce $7.4B Merger). Because of the impending merger, Southwestern…

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Diversified Grows via Culling, Harvesting Mature Gas Wells

Every major public “upstream” (exploration and production) company invests in finding and developing reserves — except one, which happens to be the largest owner of wells in the country. Diversified Energy (formerly Diversified Gas & Oil), with major assets in the Marcellus/Utica region (also assets in other regions, too), owns approximately 8 million acres of…

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The Story of Utica Oil Part 3: The Secret Fracking Recipe

Writing for Hart Energy’s Oil and Gas Investor magazine, author Nissa Darbonne penned a fabulous overview of the Utica, bringing us the history of oil drilling in Ohio (in the 1800s) all the way up to the present day and Encino Energy’s dominance in oil drilling in the Utica. The article includes details about Encino…

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Coterra 2Q – Trimming Another 325 MMcf/d of Marcellus Gas

Coterra Energy, formed by the merger of Cabot Oil & Gas (drills for natural gas in the Marcellus) and Cimarex Energy (drills for oil in the Permian and Anadarko basins), issued its second quarter 2024 update on Friday. The company turned in respectable financial numbers, making a profit of $220 million in 2Q24, up 5%…

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Antero 2Q – NatGas Production Down 4%, Liquids Up 10%, 11 New Wells

Antero Resources, which is 100% focused on the Marcellus/Utica with over 500,000 net acres under lease (and the largest M-U driller in West Virginia), issued its second quarter 2024 update last week. The company reports net production averaged 3.4 billion cubic feet equivalent per day (Bcfe/d) during 2Q24, an increase of 1% year-over-year (i.e., pretty…

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Shell CEO: Monaca Cracker Plant Not Fully Operational Til 2025/26

During last week’s second quarter update conference call by oil and gas giant Shell, the CEO, Wael Sawan, had some interesting comments about the mighty Shell ethane cracker in Monaca (Beaver County), PA. Sawan praised progress at the plant but then said it would be 2025 or 2026 before the plant would be “fully operational.”…

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The Story of Utica Oil Part 2: Infinity Natural Res. Comes for Oil

Writing for Hart Energy’s Oil and Gas Investor magazine, author Nissa Darbonne penned a fabulous overview of the Utica, bringing us the history of oil drilling in Ohio (in the 1800s) all the way up to the present day and Encino Energy’s dominance in oil drilling in the Utica. The article includes details about Encino…

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9 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 22 – 28

For the week of July 22 – 28, a total of nine permits were issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica. Pennsylvania had the fewest with just two new permits, one each for Seneca Resources and Rice Drilling (i.e., EQT). Ohio had the most with four new permits, all of them for EOG Resources…

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EQT & Others Enter “Phase 1” of Hydrogen Hub; DOE Cuts $30M Check

An important milestone was reached on Wednesday regarding the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2). You may recall that ARCH2 was one of seven projects to win the Bidenista Hunger Games competition to receive a chunk of $7 billion to build a regional hydrogen hub (see Hydrogen Hub Winners Announced – WV Takes Prize in…

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The Story of Utica Oil Part 1: Encino Becomes Most Active Driller

We’ve written a number of times about the Ohio Utica Shale and its beginnings with gas legend Aubrey McClendon, who, as CEO of Chesapeake Energy, was one of (if not THE) first to recognize the Utica as an oil play. However, it was a successor company, Encino Energy, that figured out how to coax large…

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New LNG Bunker Barge Comes to Port of Savannah, Georgia

Some exciting news to share related to the Marcellus/Utica. Shipping company Crowley announced it had accepted delivery of the LNG bunker barge Progress, the largest U.S. Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, after construction was completed at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The Progress will expand access to cleaner energy for ship operators…

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Chesapeake Whacked Production in 2Q, Down 25%; Lost $227 Million

Chesapeake Energy issued its second quarter 2024 update yesterday. Due to the low price of natural gas, Chesapeake promised (in 1Q) that it would curtail roughly 25% of its production. The company kept its word. Chessy’s 2Q production was 24.9% lower than the same period in 2023. Production was 2.745 Bcfe/d in 2Q24 versus 3.653…

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Austin Master Services CEO Pays $25,000 Bond to Stay Out of Jail

Last week, MDN exclusively brought you the news that the CEO of American Environmental Services, which owns Austin Master Services (AMS), had filed a brief with Belmont County Court to either forgive or reduce a $1.2 million bond needed to keep the CEO, Brad Domitrovitsch, out of jail (see Austin Master Serv. CEO Asks Court…

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Range Resources Publishes 2023/24 Corporate Sustainability Report

Yesterday, Range Resources, the very first driller to sink a Marcellus shale well back in 2004, released its 2023-2024 Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR). Some companies call these CSR or sustainability reports, while others still use the now hugely unpopular ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) label. We’re glad to see Marcellus/Utica drillers moving away from using…

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