ODNR Issues 16 Permits for New Columbiana County Wells

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources in November issued 16 new permits for horizontal wells in Columbiana County, the most for any single month so far in 2023.

According to ODNR, Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co. was awarded 12 permits for new horizontal wells in Elkrun Township. All of the wells are targeted for the Elkrun Johnston well pad, data show.

Another four permits were issued to EAP Ohio, a division of Houston-based Encino Energy Partners, for wells in Knox Township, according to ODNR. These wells are slated for the Grove CL pad.

All of the new wells target the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation in eastern Ohio. Over the first two quarters of 2023, oil production across Columbiana County’s Utica/Point Pleasant has jumped, powered by four strong EAP-owned wells in Hanover Township.

ODNR has issued a total of 33 permits for new horizontal wells in Columbiana County this year through November. Twenty-one of these permits were awarded to Hilcorp, while EAP has secured 12 permits in 2023 to drill new wells, according to ODNR.

Still, oil and gas production across the Appalachia Region – which combines the Utica/Point Pleasant in eastern Ohio and the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia – is likely to decrease in December.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s monthly drilling productivity report, oil production is projected to decline 2,000 barrels per day to 133,000 barrels in December. Natural gas output is expected to drop 189 million cubic feet per day to 37.764 billion cubic feet per day, the report shows.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.