Marcellus

The overall U.S. rig count went unchanged at 799 during the week ended Friday, as gains in the oil patch offset a pullback in natural gas drilling, according to data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on Thursday sharply raised its assessments for the Marcellus and Utica shale formations, estimating they hold a mean of 214 Tcf of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas resources — with the Utica now topping the Marcellus.

Pennsylvania State University researchers have developed a method that may help producers more easily identify natural gas-rich areas in the Marcellus Shale for exploratory wells.

The Marcellus Shale Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) is at work on its latest well at a new site in West Virginia, examining a 139-foot core sample taken from the formation that could yield more data to improve unconventional development in the Appalachian Basin.

Allentown, PA-based American Energy Partners Inc. (AEP), which focuses on upstream oil and gas operations as well as waste and water treatment, has added another company to its repertoire.

The chief of Ohio’s largest natural gas producer sees plenty of running room in the Utica Shale, a play he said is not yet fully delineated or being developed to its maximum potential.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. during the first quarter saw the benefits of additional natural gas takeaway capacity and other local demand sources that came online late last year, realizing its best differential since early 2013.

A sharp decline in the Marcellus Shale spurred a retreat in the overall U.S. rig count during the week ended April 12, as the total number of domestic rigs fell to 1,022, according to data from Baker Hughes, a GE Company (BHGE).

The United States added four natural gas rigs to reach 194 units during the week ended Friday (April 5), while oil activity saw a sharp rebound following recent declines, according to data from Baker Hughes, a GE Company (BHGE).