Single Utica Well Permit Issued Last Week

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Resources issued just a single permit last week to energy companies seeking to drill in the Utica shale, the agency reports.

XTO Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, was awarded a permit for a new horizontal well in Belmont County during the week ended Oct. 27, ODNR reports.

There were no other permits issued across the shale play, which includes Mahoning, Trumbull, and Mahoning counties.

However, Chesapeake Exploration LLC, a division of Chesapeake Energy, has applied for two new permits for horizontal wells in Columbiana County, according to ODNR records.

Chesapeake, which holds more permits and has drilled more wells than any other oil and gas company operating in the Utica, is seeking approval for two additional wells at the Summitcrest Farm in Franklin Township. The company has filed for another permit to revise a third well at the site, according to ODNR.

To date, 2,069 permits have been issued in Ohio portion of the Utica shale of which 1,629 wells are drilled and 1,032 are in production.

The rig count in the Utica dropped during the week to 22 from 24 the previous week, ODNR reports.

There were no new Utica permits used for Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.