Unconventional oil and natural gas production in Ohio last quarter continued to significantly increase, with operators reporting more natural gas volumes than they did in all of 2013 and nearly as much oil, according to a report released Friday by the state.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) said the state’s unconventional horizontal Utica and Marcellus Shale wells produced 132 Bcf of natural gas and a little more than 3 million bbl of oil in the third quarter. By comparison, in 2013, unconventional operators reported producing about 100 Bcf of natural gas and roughly 3.7 million bbl of oil (see Shale Daily, July 2). Ohio law does not require the separate reporting of natural gas liquids, which are included in gas totals.

The report lists 717 wells, 674 of which reported production results in the third quarter, while 43 were completed but awaiting pipeline infrastructure. The average number of days in production was 75, ODNR said.

Steadily increasing production coincides with the oil and gas industry’s rapid pace of development in the state and comes in large part from the Utica Shale, where 1,652 wells have been permitted and 1,204 have been drilled. That’s compared to just 44 wells that have been permitted in the state’s portion of the Marcellus Shale, where operators have drilled only 27 wells.

The 717 wells listed in Friday’s report are a marked increase from the nine that reported commercial production in 2011, when operators truly began to develop the formation (see Shale Daily, April 3, 2012). Third quarter oil production increased by more than 546,000 bbl and gas by more than 43 Bcf compared to 2Q2014, when 88 Bcf and 2.4 million bbl were reported (see Shale Daily, Sept. 9). In 3Q2013, 248 horizontal wells reported 1.3 million bbl of oil and 33 Bcf of natural gas (see Shale Daily, Dec. 31, 2013).

Ohio’s highest-producing oil well last quarter was Consol Energy Inc. subsidiary CNX Gas Co.’s “Reserve Coal Properties” in Noble County, which churned out 50,159 bbl of oil in 86 days of production. The state’s highest producing natural gas well was Antero Resources Corp.’s Gary Unit 3H in Monroe County, which produced 1.7 Bcf during 90 days of production.

Overall, the average per-well amount of oil produced during the third quarter was 4,471 bbl, while the average amount of natural gas produced was 195.9 MMcf.