ODNR Issues Six New Permits for Utica Shale Wells

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued six new horizontal well permits to energy companies exploring Ohio’s Utica shale during the week ended March 16, the agency reports.

Three permits were issued to Chesapeake Exploration LLC and three more to Ascent Resources Utica LLC to drill wells in Harrison County, data show.

The rig count stood a 15 for the week.

As of March 16, oil and gas companies have drilled 2,552 wells across the Utica, of which 2,168 are producing, according to ODNR. The agency has issued a total of 3,037 horizontal well permits since energy companies started exploring the play in 2010.

Much of the exploration is centered in counties in southeastern Ohio, where wells have proven the most productive. There were no new permits in the northern tier of Ohio’s Utica, which includes Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Nor were there new permits issued in neighboring Lawrence or Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.