Unconventional natural gas production in Pennsylvania declined again in the second quarter, according to the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO).

IFO

The 0.9% year/year decrease to 1.836 Tcf marks the first time that production recorded a yearly decline in consecutive quarters since quarterly production data became available in 2015, IFO said. Production fell 0.6% in the first quarter of the year.

However, growth in producing wells ticked up slightly in the second quarter after several years of consistent deceleration, IFO said. “Decelerating or flat growth in producing wells is due to less drilling activity in 2020 and 2021 and older wells that were shut in or plugged. The uptick in drilling in 2022 should lead to stronger growth in producing wells,” said the report,...