US Says Utica Shale Among Fastest-Growing Plays

WASHINGTON – A recent report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that the Utica shale in eastern Ohio is among the most efficient and fastest growing gas-producing regions in the country.

According to the agency’s drilling productivity report, the Utica produced 1.92 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in March – a 3.8% increase from February and a 140% increase from the same month in 2014.

Drilling efficiency has also improved in the Utica, the report says. Between March 2007 and March 2015, natural gas production per rig increased about 40 times to 4.8 million cubic feet per day.

The latest report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says 24 rigs were operating in the Utica as of last week.

Natural gas production in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania increased as well, the Energy Information Administration report says. The agency estimates Marcellus production in March stood at 16.6 billion cubic feet per day, 1% higher than February and 16.5% better than the same period last year.

The Energy Information Administration says that the Marcellus is the largest gas producing shale basin in the United States. Over eight years, gas production has increased more than 13-fold, it estimates.

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