Utica Shale Rig Count Up Slightly in Ohio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The rig count and permit activity in the Utica shale inched higher during the week ended Aug. 15 compared to the previous week, according to the latest update from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

ODNR reported that the rig count stood at 25 as of Aug. 15 compared to 22 a week earlier. ODNR issued six permits for new horizontal wells last week, all of which were awarded to Eclipse Resources for wells in Monroe County in the southern tier of the oil and gas play.

The state agency issued just three permits during the previous week.

There were no new permits issued in Mahoning, Trumbull or Columbiana counties, according to ODNR.

No new permits were issued for horizontal wells across the state line in Lawrence or Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania, according to the latest information from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

To date, there have been 1,988 permits issued for horizontal wells in the Ohio portion of the Utica, 1,570 of which have been drilled and 969 of these wells are in production.

The rig count — that is, the number of oil and gas drilling rigs operating in Ohio’s Utica during a single week – has plummeted since January, coinciding with the collapse of oil prices. In early January, the rig count stood at 53 in the Utica.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.