YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – EAP Ohio, a subsidiary of Encino Acquisition Partners, plans to deepen four of its existing oil and gas wells in Columbiana County, according to records from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Houston-based energy company was awarded four permits to deepen wells at the Norris CL pad in West Township on July 9, records show. The wells target the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation.
EAP wells in the western portion of Columbiana County have proven lucrative oil producers over the past year. The most recent production statistics show that two EAP Ohio wells in Knox Township – just north of West Township – yielded 128,607 barrels of oil in just 29 days during the first quarter of 2025, according to ODNR.
In all, EAP’s Columbiana County wells produced 327,137 barrels of oil for the first three months of this year, ODNR records show.
In May, EAP began drilling its first well in Mahoning County.
Last month, Houston-based EOG Resources announced plans to acquire Encino Acquisition Partners for $5.6 billion. The acquisition would include all of EAP Ohio’s Utica/Point Pleasant assets.
EAP is a partnership between Houston-based Encino Energy and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The group acquired the Utica assets of Chesapeake Energy Corp. in 2018 for $2 billion. EAP Ohio has since amassed a significant position in the Utica/Point Pleasant formation and is the single largest oil producer in Ohio.
In 2024, EAP’s wells in Ohio produced 16.586 million barrels of oil, or nearly 48% of the entire state’s output, ODNR data show.
Pictured at top: An Encino Energy well in Mahoning County.