Oil, Natural Gas Production Increases in Utica Shale
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Two horizontal wells in Columbiana County yielded significant production during the second quarter of 2018, as oil and gas exploration in this part of the Utica shale continues to ramp up.
According to production data on the quarter ended June 30 provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, two wells operated by Chesapeake Exploration LLC at its Paige well pad in Franklin Township yielded more than 800 million cubic feet of natural gas apiece.
Chesapeake’s Paige 3H well produced 844.052 million cubic feet of gas over 88 days, while the Paige 1H yielded 836.414 million cubic feet over 87 days – the best production numbers from single Utica wells in Columbiana County yet.
Chesapeake reported 52 producing wells in the county that yielded a combined 5.771 billion cubic feet of gas during the period.
Hilcorp Energy Co. also reported strong results from its Columbiana County wells in Fairfield and Elk Run townships.
The Elkrun-Scheel 11H well yielded 537.077 million cubic feet over 91 days, while the 13H well produced 562.306 million cubic feet over the same period.
In Fairfield Township, Hilcorp’s Fairfield-Unkefer 14H well produced 347.981 million cubic feet with just 31 days of recorded production during the quarter, according to ODNR.
Hilcorp reported eight Columbiana County wells in production during the quarter that yielded a total of 2.573 billion cubic feet of gas.
Another operator, Atlas Noble LLC, reported its seven wells in the county produced 647.810 million cubic feet of gas.
Together, the 67 wells reporting production in Columbiana County delivered 8.992 billion cubic feet of natural gas during the quarter, while oil production was negligible.
Natural gas production in Mahoning and Trumbull counties proved below average, as wells there did not produce significant quantities of oil or gas.
Hilcorp’s seven wells in Poland Township together elicited 350.1 million cubic feet of gas, Northwood Energy’s three wells in North Jackson and Ellsworth townships produced 58.9 million cubic feet, while Pin Oak Energy’s two wells in North Jackson yielded 28.2 million cubic feet during the quarter, according to ODNR.
In Trumbull County, Pin Oak reported five operating wells that together produced 99.4 million cubic feet of gas, while Enervest Operating LLC reported a single well in operation that produced 10.4 million cubic feet of gas.
Overall production of natural gas and oil in Ohio’s Utica shale soared during the quarter ended June 30, according to ODNR.
Natural gas production skyrocketed by 42.25% versus the same period in 2017, ODNR reported. Wells across the Utica yielded a total of 554.306 billion cubic feet of natural gas during the second quarter of 2018 compared to 389.662 billion cubic feet of gas produced during the second quarter of 2017, the agency said.
Oil production also climbed significantly during the period, helped along by stronger oil prices and demand. Utica wells across Ohio pumped out 4.488 million barrels in the second quarter – nearly an 11% increase from the year prior. During the second quarter of 2017, Utica wells produced 4.044 million barrels of oil.
ODNR said 2,002 horizontal wells in the Utica reported production during the period, the bulk of which occurred in the southern sector of the Utica, mostly encompassing hot spots in Belmont, Noble and Guernsey counties.
Ascent Resources Utica LLC operated the most productive gas well in the Utica during the quarter, and the biggest producer to date in the region, according to ODNR data.
Ascent’s Borovich 1H well in Belmont County yielded an unheard of 3.168 billion cubic feet of gas during a 91-day production period, according to ODNR.
The best-producing oil well in the Utica was the Yanoisik A 2H well in Guernsey County, operated by Eclipse Resources. That well generated an impressive 100,723 barrels over 90 days, according to ODNR.
The average amount of oil produced per well was 2,242 barrels for the quarter, while the average amount of natural gas produced per well stood at 276.877 million cubic feet, ODNR said.
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