14 Permits Issued in Ohio’s Utica; Rig Count Rises

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The number of oil and gas rigs operating in Ohio’s Utica shale eased upward last week as did the number of well permits issued across the play, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

ODNR reported 22 rigs active in eastern Ohio for the week ended Feb. 24, up from 20 the previous week.

And, the number of horizontal well permits issued rose to 14 from 11 — seven each issued in Belmont and Monroe counties in the southern tier of the Utica, ODNR reported.

Oklahoma City-based Gulfport Energy Corp. received 10 permits — five each in Belmont and Monroe counties, while Ascent Resources, also based in Oklahoma City, was awarded two permits for wells in Belmont. State College, Pa.-based Eclipse Resources secured two permits to drill in Monroe.

As of Feb. 24, 2,406 permits have been issued in Ohio’s Utica, most of them in the southern tier of the play. Of that number, 1,921 wells have been drilled and 1,525 horizontal wells are in production, according to ODNR.

No new permits were issued — nor were any applications filed for new permits — for new wells in the northern tier that encompasses Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reported no new permits for wells in neighboring Lawrence and Mercer counties.

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