A northeast Ohio company has plans to open one of the state’s first third-party water treatment facilities to process flowback, brine and other wastewater that collects during the drilling process. Ohio favors injection wells to dispose of its oilfield waste, with nearly 98% of all brine water being disposed of in Class II injection wells. Iron Eagle Enterprises LLC, of Liberty Township is the first to receive a third-party permit. Plans call for constructing a 14,000 b/d, or 588,000 gallon, facility in Carroll County, where drilling activities have been robust. The plant is expected to employ as many as 50 people once it’s operational. No completion date has been announced.

PDC Energy secured the first three permits in November to drill in Morgan County, OH, in one of the farthest moves west in the Utica shale play since Devon Energy Corp. explored its western fringes when development first got underway. PDC is the first to push farther southwest of Noble, Guernsey, Belmont and Monroe counties, where drilling activities have only recently started to increase. The company operates two wells in adjacent Washington County, and it holds most of its acreage in Guernsey County to the north.

Consol Energysaid the federal waiting period has expired on its $3.5 billion agreement with Murray Energy Corp. to sell subsidiary Consolidation Coal Co., which holds five of its longwall coal mines in West Virginia (see Shale Daily, Oct. 28). Proceeds from the transaction, set to close before the end of 2013, would be dedicated to the Marcellus Shale, as well as lthe Utica and Upper Devonian shales.

A valve leak that occurred last Friday at a water injection well in Bottineau County, ND, four miles northwest of Maxbass, was reported Monday to the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), oil and gas division. A DMR spokesperson said initial data from Denbury Onshore LLC indicated approximately 50 bbl of oil and 300 bbl of brine were released and recovered on the Fossum B3 water injection well. All fluids were contained to the well site, according to Denbury. The oil and gas division sent a state inspector to the site on Monday.

Royal Dutch Shell plc will not proceed with its proposed 140,000 b/d Gulf Coast gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Louisiana and will suspend work on the project, the company said Thursday. Shell said it has evaluated a number of development options for GTL on the U.S. Gulf Coast, using natural gas feedstocks. “Despite the ample supplies of natural gas in the area, the company has taken the decision that GTL is not a viable option for Shell in North America at this time due to the likely development cost of such a project, uncertainties on long-term oil and gas prices and differentials, and Shell’s strict capital discipline,” the company said.

Calpine Corp. has agreed to purchase a natural gas-fired power plant near San Antonio for $625 million as it continues to expand its portfolio in Texas. Houston-based Calpine said the combined-cycle power plant, with a nominal generating capacity of 1,050 MW, will be acquired from MinnTex Power Holdings LLC, a company owned by a private investment fund managed by Wayzata Investment Partners LLC of Minnesota. The facility is on a 110-acre site in Guadalupe County, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. “Guadalupe is an exceptional plant with an outstanding performance record that meets Calpine’s high standards for operational excellence,” said Calpine CEO Jack Fusco. “We strongly believe in the potential of the Texas market as electric demand increases and reserve margins tighten.”

Nearly a decade after entering the U.S. natural gas trading market, Deutsche Bank said Thursday it is significantly scaling back its commodities business and will exit the dedicated trading desks for energy, agriculture, base metals and dry bulk. A special commodities group has been established to manage the wind-down of the businesses, and no material impact on Deutsche Bank’s core competencies of financial derivatives and precious metals is expected, the company said. About 200 traders will reportedly be affected by the decision. The decision to scale back the commodities business is part of the company’s “Strategy 2015+,” an effort announced last year to strengthen capital ratio and create long-term value for shareholders.