Hilcorp Posts Strong Well Results in Columbiana
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Natural gas wells drilled by Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co. in Columbiana County produced strong results during the first three months of 2018, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported Wednesday.
According to quarterly production numbers released July 11, eight Utica shale horizontal wells owned by Hilcorp in Columbiana County produced a combined 3.156 billion cubic feet of natural gas over a 90-day period ended March 31. The wells reported no oil production.
The most productive well in Columbiana County was the Elkrun-Scheel 4H well in Elk Run Township. That well produced 743.369 million cubic feet of gas for the period.
The Elkrun-Scheel 11H well was the second most productive in the county yielding 727.418 million cubic feet of gas, according to ODNR.
These results are surprising since most gas wells in the northern tier of Ohio’s Utica, which encompasses Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties, yield either average or below average production.
During the first quarter, a single Utica well in Ohio averaged 278.454 million cubic feet of natural gas and 2,066 barrels of oil.
Five of the eight wells Hilcorp drilled in Columbiana County last year each produced 366.453 million or more cubic feet of gas, well above the state average, according to ODNR data.
Two other exploration and production companies, Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Atlas Noble LLC, reported well results in Columbiana County during the quarter, according to ODNR.
Chesapeake reported production in 49 wells for a total of 3.774 billion cubic feet of natural gas, but oil production was negligible. Atlas said its seven wells yielded 721.109 million cubic feet of gas, but zero barrels of oil.
In all, horizontal wells in Columbiana County produced a total of 7.651 billion cubic feet of gas during the, according to ODNR.
ODNR does not separate production of natural dry gas such as methane, and “wet” gas, that is, gas that is converted into liquids such as ethane, butane or propane. All of these products are reported together.
Hilcorp’s wells in Poland Township in Mahoning County didn’t fare as well as its Columbiana assets, according to ODNR. Seven wells the company drilled at the Carbon Limestone Landfill collectively produced just 407.7 million cubic feet of gas for the three-month period. The wells elicited little or no oil.
Two other companies reported production in Mahoning County – Pin Oak Energy Partners, which acquired assets from Halcon Resources and BP America, and Northwood Energy Corp., which acquired Mahoning County wells in Jackson and Ellsworth townships from CNX.
Northwood reported total natural gas production of 40.822 million cubic feet from its three wells, while Pin Oak reported production of 30.6 million cubic feet of gas from its two wells in Jackson Township.
Mahoning County wells produced a total of 479.1 million cubic feet of natural gas during the quarter.
Just one operator reported results in Trumbull County as Pin Oak said its five wells produced 91.5 million cubic feet of gas during the quarter.
ODNR reported that 1,909 wells across the state turned in production numbers during the quarter. In all, these wells generated 531.291 billion cubic feet of gas, a 42.8% increase from the first three months of 2017. These wells also produced 3.942 million barrels of oil, down from 4.090 million barrels, or 3.62%, recorded during the first quarter of 2017.
The most productive wells across eastern Ohio’s Utica shale are concentrated in the southern tier, mostly in Belmont, Jefferson, Monroe, and Guernsey counties, according to ODNR data.
The most productive natural gas well during the period was the Eclipse Resources-operated Herrick East 11H well in Monroe County, which produced 2.9 billion cubic feet of gas during the first quarter.
Eclipse Resources’ Outlaw C 11H well in Guernsey County produced the most oil of any well in Ohio – an impressive 168,493 barrels during the quarter.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
