ODNR Issues Seven Utica Permits, Rig Count at 22

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued seven new permits for horizontal wells last week in the Utica shale, the agency reported Tuesday.

ODNR issued six permits to Ascent Resources Utica LLC for wells in Guernsey County in the southeastern portion of the state. The agency issued a single permit to Antero Resources Corp. for a well in Monroe County.

All of the permits were issued for the week ended April 22, ODNR said.

The number of oil and gas rigs active across the Utica improved to 22 during the week from 20 rigs in operation a week earlier.

As of April 22, ODNR has issued 2,476 horizontal permits in the Utica shale. Of that number, 1,968 wells have been drilled and 1,540 are in production.

Interest in the northern section of the Utica – which encompasses Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Ohio and Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania — remains slow. No permits were issued in any of these counties for the week, according to ODNR and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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