Well Permit Activity Still Slow in Utica Shale

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Just five permits for new horizontal wells were issued for sites in the Utica shale for the week ended July 25, indicating the slowdown in exploration activity in the oil and gas play isn’t lifting anytime soon.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued four permits to Gulfport Energy for wells in Monroe County in Washington Township, while a single permit was awarded to Chesapeake Exploration LLC for a new well in Orange Township in Carroll County.

The rig count in the Utica stood at 20 for the week. To date, there are 1,980 permits issued in eastern Ohio’s Utica shale, 1,543 wells drilled, and 926 wells in production, ODNR reported.

No new permits were issued for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, according to ODNR. Nor were new permits issued for the contiguous counties of Mercer and Lawrence in the western Pennsylvania portion of the Utica shale, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Energy companies have pulled back drilling in the Utica shale since oil prices started their decline late last year. Prices, once thought to be on the rebound, have slipped again this summer and have plummeted to below $50 a barrel.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.