Research

Report: M-U has Lowest Methane Emission Intensity of Any O&G Basin

The Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI) is a coalition of leading U.S. natural gas companies in the Marcellus/Utica, including Ascent Resources, CNX Resources, EQT Corporation, Equitrans Midstream Corporation (now part of EQT), Expand Energy Corporation, MPLX, and Seneca Resources. AMI uses independent monitoring providers, technical consultants, and top-tier universities to monitor and track methane emissions in…

Read More...

M-U Rig Count Declined 37% (19 Rigs) from Dec 2022 to Dec 2024

The number of rigs deployed to drill for natural gas in the United States decreased over the last two years, according to stats from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. natural gas-directed rigs decreased 32% (50 rigs) between December 2022 and December 2024. The decline was concentrated in the natural gas-rich Haynesville and Marcellus/Utica…

Read More...

National Rig Count Gains 1 @ 593; M-U Rig Count Even @ 35

For the fifth week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count added rigs—the first time that has happened since May 2022. Last week, the count added a single new rig for a new total of 593. The national count remained in a tight range of 581-589 for much of last year. We’ve officially…

Read More...

PA Study Promotes Geothermal with Aim to Kill Off Shale Energy

In September 2023, MDN told you about a non-profit organization called Project InnerSpace, which was contacting public officials, academics, and oil and gas interests in Pennsylvania, pitching a transition from fossil fuel extraction to geothermal energy using the same workers and potentially, the same infrastructure (see Siren Song of Geothermal Calls to PA Conventional &…

Read More...

PA 2024 Report: Production Down 3.7%, Wells Drilled Lowest in 16 Yrs

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for October through December 2024 (full copy below). There were 84 new horizontal wells spud (drilled) in 4Q24, a decrease of 26 wells (-24%) compared to 4Q23. However, 4Q’s spud number increased from the 63 drilled in the prior quarter,…

Read More...

Power Plants Closing in 2025 Include 8.1 GW Coal, 2.6 GW NatGas

U.S. power generators plan to retire about 8.1 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power generation capacity this year, roughly double the amount that was retired in 2024, the Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday. In addition, power generators plan to retire 2.6 GW of U.S. natural gas capacity, representing 0.5% of the natural gas fleet in…

Read More...

National Rig Count Gains 4 @ 592; M-U Rig Count Adds 1 @ 35

For the fourth week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count added rigs—to the highest level since last June! Three weeks ago, the rig count gained four rigs to 586. Two weeks ago, the count regained another two rigs to 588. Last week, the count added four new rigs for 592. Note that…

Read More...

Report Reveals Ohio’s Largest Oil & Gas Counties, Royalty Payers

The Ohio Natural Energy Institute (ONEi) is a nonprofit organization of professionals who educate people about the essential energy that makes life better, specifically focusing on natural gas and oil production. ONEi provides trusted, factual information through teacher workshops, first responder training, guest speaker programs, and more. The organization used to be called Ohio Oil…

Read More...

PJM Report: PA in Desperate Need of More Gas-Fired Power Plants

According to a recent report from PJM Interconnection, the manager of the electric grid in all or parts of 13 states plus D.C., three electric transmission zones that are wholly or partly in Pennsylvania are expected to see sharp increases in power demand from current and new data centers in the next few years. For…

Read More...

National Rig Count Gains 2 @ 588; M-U Count Steady @ 34

For the third week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count regained some of the rigs lost earlier this year. Two weeks ago, the rig count gained four rigs to 586. Last week the count regained another two rigs to 588. Note that for much of last year, the national count remained in…

Read More...

Feb. STEO Revises Predicted 2025 Natural Gas Price Avg Up by 23%

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday, the agency’s monthly best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. In this latest assessment, EIA said the natural gas price at the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub is expected to average $3.80 per…

Read More...

National Rig Count Gains 4 @ 586; M-U Count Steady @ 34

For the second week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count regained some of the rigs lost in prior weeks. Two weeks ago, the rig count gained six rigs (see National Rig Count Gains 6 @ 582; M-U Count Steady @ 34). Last week, the rig count gained another four rigs to 586….

Read More...

M-U NatGas Production Bounces Back to Near-All-Time Highs

According to an analysis by S&P Global Commodity Insights, U.S. natural gas output stands near an all-time high as a period of strong demand and improved prices enable a production resurgence. Output averaged 106 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) over the latest weekend. In the Marcellus/Utica, production over the last seven days has come…

Read More...