Five New Utica Wells Get Permits from ODNR

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has issued five new horizontal well permits to companies drilling in the Utica shale last week, all of them located in the oil and gas play’s southern counties.

Ascent Resources received four new permits for wells in Belmont, Guernsey and Jefferson counties for the week ended Aug. 20. Eclipse Resources was awarded a single permit to drill in Monroe County.

To date, ODNR has issued 2,217 permits in the Utica. Of that number, there are 1,776 wells drilled and 1,390 in production. The rig count in Ohio’s portion of the Utica remained unchanged at 14 from a week earlier.

Drilling in the northern tier of Ohio’s Utica, which generally encompasses Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, is practically non-existent because energy companies have focused their efforts on drilling in the southern portion of the play, where wells have proven more productive. No permits were issued for wells in those counties during the week, according to ODNR

There was also no permit activity in western Pennsylvania’s portion of the Utica in Lawrence or Mercer counties, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.