Utica Shale Production Reaches Record in Q4

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Production of oil and gas from Utica shale wells in Ohio continues to hit new records, according to the latest results released Monday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

ODNR reported that energy companies drilling across the state yielded 663.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas during the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2018, or a 31.9% increase versus the same period a year ago.

Production during the fourth quarter was also better than the previous three-month period, according to ODNR records. Energy companies reported 605.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas during the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018.

Oil production increased year-over-year by 38.5% during the fourth quarter, ODNR said. The agency reported that Utica shale wells yielded 5.8 million barrels of oil during the period, compared with 4.19 million barrels a year ago.

During the third quarter, Utica wells in the state pumped out 5.54 million barrels of oil.

The latest report from ODNR lists 2,241 Utica shale wells that produced either oil or gas during the quarter. The average amount of natural gas produced per well stood at 296.088 million cubic feet. The average amount of oil produced per well during the quarter was 2,593 barrels, according to ODNR.

Most of the production is centered in the southeastern tier of the oil and gas play, where geological pressure is strongest.

Eclipse Resources I LP’s Yellow Rose A 2H well in Monroe County produced the most natural gas of any single well in the Utica, eliciting 3.789 billion cubic feet of gas over 92 days.

Another Eclipse well – the Outlaw A 1H in Guernsey County – produced more oil than any other well active in the Utica. That well produced 181,579 barrels of oil over a 92-day period.

In the northern tier, wells in Columbiana County yielded 8.257 billion cubic feet of natural gas during the quarter, an improvement from the previous three months. During the third quarter, energy companies said that they produced 7.953 billion cubic feet of gas.

Natural gas production in Mahoning and Trumbull counties was negligible during the quarter, according to ODNR’s report. Nine wells operating in Mahoning County produced just 333.749 million cubic feet during the quarter, while wells in Trumbull County yielded 99.381 million cubic feet.

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