Ohio Issues 2,000th Drilling Permit in Utica Shale

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The number of new horizontal well permits issued in eastern Ohio’s Utica shale has surpassed 2,000, according to the latest data released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

ODNR reports that to date, 2,002 permits for unconventional oil and gas wells in the Utica shale have been issued since exploration began in the play in late 2009.

The agency issued six new permits for the week ended Sept. 5. Three were issued to Hess Ohio Developments LLC for wells in Harrison County while three more were awarded PDC Energy for wells in Washington County.

ODNR said the rig count in the Utica stood at 21 for the week, unchanged from the previous week. To date, 1,004 horizontal wells are producing in the Utica, while 1,588 have been drilled.

No new permits were issued in Mahoning, Columbiana, or Trumbull counties last week, according to ODNR.

However, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reports that two permits were issued Sept. 3 to Hilcorp Energy Co. for horizontal wells in Lawrence County, just across the Mahoning County border in western Pennsylvania. Hilcorp received two permits for wells on the Gunn property in Mahoning Township.

No new permits were issued in Mercer County, the DEP reported.

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