New Drilling Permits Sought in Columbiana County

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – EAP Ohio LLC, a subsidiary of Houston-based Encino Energy Partners, has plans to drill four new horizontal wells in Columbiana County, according to data released from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

EAP has requested permits to drill the new wells in Butler Township at the Lehwald farm, according to ODNR. No final permits for the wells have yet been issued.

The wells would specifically target the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation, which has yielded a significant amount of natural gas and oil throughout eastern Ohio since energy exploration companies began drilling in 2011.

EAP reported during the first quarter of 2023 that four of its wells in Hanover Township yielded 228,058 barrels of oil, shattering previous oil production numbers in the county.

The company recently hosted a visit by U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, as he and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, toured the Sanor Farms well pad along Georgetown Road in Knox Township.

During the first quarter, active horizontal wells in Columbiana County produced a total of 27.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 233,390 barrels of oil.

Two Houston-based energy companies – EAP and Hilcorp Energy Co. – are the most prolific drillers in Columbiana County’s Utica/Point Pleasant formation.

In mid-June, Hilcorp filed requests for permits to begin “new operations” at nine existing wells in Fairfield Township at the Unkefer well pad, according to ODNR data.

So far this year, 12 permits for new wells have been issued in Columbiana County, ODNR records show.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.