Utica

EQT Corp. has agreed to buy out Appalachian competitor Rice Energy Inc., an estimated $8 billion transaction that would create the largest natural gas producer in the country.

As it weathered the commodities downturn and grappled with the problems it created, Ohio pure-play Eclipse Resources Corp. again went back to the drawing board to determine how it could better increase estimated ultimate recoveries, efficiency and above all, returns, CEO Benjamin Hulburt told an industry crowd this week in Pittsburgh.

Gulfport Energy Corp. continued to lean on the Utica Shale, which helped it to outperform expectations and beat guidance during the first quarter, when it got to work on building a new core asset into its portfolio in the South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP).

More rigs came back during the week just ended, natgas-directed units, too, according to Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI). Meanwhile, analysts are looking to new natural gas takeaway capacity and production growth, particularly in the Northeast.

Despite the commodities downturn that dogged Appalachian producers for most of 2016, natural gas production in Pennsylvania set another record last year when it increased 11% from 2015 to 5.1 Tcf, according to recently released data from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Three months since it was put into service, the 800 MMcf/d east-to-west Zone 3 capacity enhancement of the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) has effectively erased a noticeable advantage Marcellus Shale pricing had enjoyed compared with the neighboring Utica Shale, an analysis of NGIprices shows.

Three months since it was put into service, the 800 MMcf/d east-to-west Zone 3 capacity enhancement of the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) has effectively erased a noticeable advantage Marcellus Shale pricing had enjoyed compared with the neighboring Utica Shale, an analysis of NGI prices shows.

As it continues pushing its lateral lengths this year, Ohio pure-play Eclipse Resources Corp. intends to drill two Marcellus Shale wells in eastern Monroe County and gather more data from a refractured (refracked) Utica Shale well that could open new horizons for the company this year.

Antero Resources Corp. is guiding for continued improvements in natural gas liquids (NGL) pricing in 2017, and its acreage holdings and infrastructure position mean the company is ready to take advantage, management told analysts.