Oil Production Remains Steady in Columbiana County

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Horizontal wells in Columbiana County produced nearly 1 million barrels of oil in 2023, indicating a steady yield that has shattered previous production numbers.

According to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Oil and Gas Division, wells exploring the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation produced 970,936 barrels of oil during the year.

To place these numbers into context, Columbiana County’s wells yielded just 20,350 barrels of oil in 2022, according to ODNR.  

Oil production last year was driven by a handful of wells drilled by EAP Ohio – a subsidiary of Houston-based Encino Energy – in Hanover and Knox townships, records show.  

During the fourth quarter, EAP wells in the county produced 241,593 barrels, down from 352,354 barrels produced during the previous quarter, records show.  

The energy company has emerged as the largest oil producer in Ohio – its 78 wells across the state in 2023 produced 13.8 million barrels in 2023, or approximately half of total production.

Last year saw a dramatic leap in overall oil production statewide, according to ODNR. In 2023, horizontal wells across Ohio produced 27.7 million barrels of oil, a 41% increase from the 19.6 million barrels produced in 2022 and a nearly 70% increase from the 16.4 million barrels wells produced in 2021.

Natural gas production from the Utica also increased substantially in Columbiana County during 2023, records show.

Columbiana County wells, for example, yielded 91.2 billion cubic feet of gas in 2023, compared with just 66 billion cubic feet produced throughout 2022, data show.

Columbiana County is home to three active oil and gas producers in the Utica/Point Pleasant: EAP, Hilcorp Energy Co. and Geopetro LLC.  

Natural gas production across Ohio stood at 2.1 trillion cubic feet for 2023, essentially flat compared with the previous year.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.