Uptick in Permit Activity for Southern Utica

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued 16 new permits for horizontal wells in the Utica shale last week, an improvement from permit counts in recent weeks, the regulatory agency reports.

All of the permits were issued to companies exploring in the southern tier of eastern Ohio’s Utica shale play, ODNR says.

American Energy LLC received 11 permits, five in Guernsey County and six in Harrison County. Triad Hunter LLC received three permits to drill in Monroe County. CNX Gas, a subsidiary of Consol Energy, received a single permit to drill in Monroe County. And XTO Energy, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, was awarded a single permit to drill in Belmont County.

No new permits were issued for Mahoning, Trumbull or Columbiana counties.

Through May 23, there are 1,494 wells drilled in the Utica and 897 of them have been placed into production, according to ODNR.

The rig count, that is the number of drilling rigs operating in the Ohio portion of the Utica at any given time, last week stood at 26.

There were no new permits issued in Lawrence or Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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