Volumes

Driven primarily by the continued success of its drilling program in the Marcellus Shale, Range Resources Corp. saw its production volumes surge to a record high of 910 MMcfe/d in 2Q2013, a 27% increase over 2Q2012, the Forth Worth, TX-based company said. Production during the quarter was 79% natural gas, 15% natural gas liquids (NGL) and 6% crude oil and condensate. Oil and condensate production increased 39% compared with 2Q2012, NGL production rose 35% and natural gas production increased 24%, Range said. Total 2Q2013 production exceeded the high end of Range’s guidance of 880-890 MMcfe/d due to the timing of turning wells to production and continued positive performance of wells in the Marcellus Shale. Range’s production number came in “well ahead of both Street and our estimate of 904 MMcfe/d,” said Wells Fargo Securities analysts, who added that they are looking for an update from the company on Marcellus infrastructure and pricing.

Driven primarily by the continued success of its drilling program in the Marcellus Shale, Range Resources Corp. saw its production volumes surge to a record high of 910 MMcfe/d in 2Q2013, a 27% increase over 2Q2012, the Forth Worth, TX-based company said Thursday.

Physical gas prices were mostly down Tuesday except for in the Northeast, where traders dug in and bought necessary volumes to see them through late-season cold and a series of storms.

PDC Energy Inc. has signed a midstream services agreement with MarkWest Utica EMG LLC and plans to nearly double its capital expenditures (capex) in the Utica Shale for 2013 while also increasing its estimated net production.

Matador Resources Co., which is focused on the liquids-rich portion of the Eagle Ford Shale, grew its oil production almost eight-fold last year to just over 1.2 million bbl from 154,000 bbl in 2011 and 33,000 bbl in 2010. The company will stay focused on the Eagle Ford and growing its Permian Basin position as gas prices aren’t high enough to support more Haynesville Shale activity, CEO Joe Foran said Thursday.

Cheniere Energy Inc. unit Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy to export additional volumes from its planned terminal in Cameron Parish, LA. Sabine Pass is seeking authorization to export to both free trade agreement (FTA) and non-FTA countries the equivalent of 101 Bcf per year in support of a contract it struck last December with Total Gas & Power North America Inc. (see Daily GPI, Dec. 18, 2012). The term of the 20-year agreement begins upon the first commercial delivery for the project’s fifth train and has an extension option of up to 10 years. However, Sabine Pass said it is not obligated to serve the Total contract from train five and may use whatever capacity is available at the facility. Recently, Sabine Pass and related companies filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to set in motion the approval process for the project’s fifth and sixth trains (see Daily GPI, March 7).

Encana Corp. has commissioned the Cavalier liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Alberta, considered one of the keys to bring higher volumes of natural gas to heavy-duty trucking and other fleets in Western Canada and elsewhere.

Nexen Inc. and CNOOC Ltd. have pushed back by 30 days the completion of the Canadian company’s C$15.1 billion takeover by the arm of state-controlled China National Offshore Oil Co.

The U.S. and Canadian rig count may recover a bit this year, but it still will be lower than it was in 2012, according to Schlumberger Ltd. CEO Paal Kibsgaard.