Global Oil & Natural Gas Reserves Increase – Breakdown by Country

Each year, the Oil & Gas Journal updates oil and natural gas reserves by each O&G-producing country. It’s a fascinating look at where the biggest (and smallest) oil and gas supplies exist on the planet. Would it surprise you to learn that three other countries have more (far more) natural gas reserves than we have…

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Ohio Utica Shale Production 3Q23 – Top Wells, Drillers & Counties

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) released production numbers for the third quarter of 2023 late last week, and nobody noticed…except MDN (thanks to a tip from a good friend). ODNR no longer issues a press release to summarize the results as they once did. We’ve got the full spreadsheet with oil and gas…

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IFO: PA NatGas Production, Wells Spud Both Decreased in 3Q

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for July through September 2023 (full copy below). There were 102 new horizontal wells spud (drilled) in 3Q23, a huge decrease of 56 wells (-35%) compared to 3Q22. However, 3Q’s spud number was up nicely from the 89 drilled in…

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PA DEP 2022 Annual O&G Report: NatGas Production Drops for 1st Time

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently published its 2022 Oil and Gas Annual Report. This is the seventh year in a row the DEP has published the report in an interactive, electronic (i.e., online only) format. Don’t worry; we’ve made the report a convenient PDF for MDN readers. What does the 2022 report…

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EIA Scales Back 2023 NatGas Production Estimate, Still Record-High

Once a month, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analysts issue the agency’s Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), their best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. Last month, the report predicted new all-time highs for natural gas production in 2023 (see EIA Boosts Prediction for Record-High NatGas Prod. 2023…

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5 Trends Poised to Have Biggest Impact on Energy Sector in 2024

Veteran equity oil and gas analyst Jeff Robertson, managing director with Water Tower Research (WTR), recently compiled an outlook report with the 5 trends he says are poised to have the biggest impact on the energy sector next year. WTR was kind enough to share it with MDN. One of Robertson’s predictions involves a Henry…

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Shapiro’s Dept. of Health Using Pitt Fake Research to Bash Fracking

It’s sad to see a major university like the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) publish fake research to fit a political narrative that fracking can be tied to cancer in kids (see Pitt Releases Fake Research, Claims PA Fracking Linked to Kid Cancer). It’s angering that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Dept. of Health is using Pitt’s fake…

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Muskingum Watershed Generated $1B in Econ Impact from Utica Drilling

For more than a decade, MDN has brought you stories about shale development on and under land controlled by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), an agency formed in 1933 to help control flooding and promote water conservation in the Muskingum River watershed area of Ohio, an area that covers 8,000 square miles (see our…

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EIA Echoes NERC, FERC in Warning of Short Gas Supplies This Winter

Yesterday, MDN brought you the news that the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) is sounding the alarm that more than half of the U.S. and parts of Canada, home to around 180 million people, could fall short of electricity during extreme cold again this winter (see NERC: Half of U.S. Faces Elec Blackouts This…

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EIA Nov DPR: Another Big Drop in Shale Gas in M-U, Haynesville

The latest monthly U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) for November, issued yesterday (below), shows EIA believes shale gas production across the seven major plays tracked in the monthly DPR for December will *decrease* production from the prior month of November — by a significant quantity. This is the fifth month in…

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U.S. Rig Count Hits New 2023 Low – Loses 2 @ 616, M-U Even @ 40

The U.S. rig count fell again last week, dropping another two rigs to 616 active rigs — the lowest rig total this year and the lowest count since February 2022. The count in the Marcellus/Utica stayed the same at a collective 40 active rigs. However, the M-U mix changed once again. Pennsylvania lost another rig,…

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EIA Predicts Henry Hub to Avg $3.40 This Winter – Nov. STEO

Once a month, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analysts issue the agency’s Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), their best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. Last month, the report predicted new all-time highs for natural gas production in 2023 (see EIA Boosts Prediction for Record-High NatGas Prod. 2023…

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EIA Discovers More Oil Drilling Produces More Associated NatGas

Long-time MDN readers will know what “associated gas” is — natural gas that comes out of the same hole that oil comes from. When shale oil drillers sink a hole with the intent to get oil (one hydrocarbon), natural gas (another hydrocarbon) comes out, too. Even more hydrocarbons may also come out, including ethane, propane,…

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U.S. Rig Count Hits New 2023 Low – Loses 7 @ 618, M-U Adds 1 @ 40

The U.S. rig count changed course again last week, dropping rigs after adding rigs (albeit anemically) for the prior three weeks in a row. The national rig count lost seven rigs last week — dropping to 618 active rigs — not only the lowest rig total this year but the lowest count since February 2022….

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