Utica Shale

Natural gas production in the Appalachian Basin, where the Utica Shale was once thought to be wetter and the Marcellus Shale continues to defy expectations, is projected to reach 34 Bcf/d by 2035, according to a revised estimate released Thursday by ICF International.

Despite poor results and the unabashed early decisions of some unconventional operators to abandon altogether what was once thought to be the core of Ohio’s Utica Shale, neither the oil and gas industry nor the communities waiting for economic opportunity have written off the play’s northern tier.

Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) has secured capacity commitments from some leading Appalachian gas producers for its planned 2.2 Bcf/d pipeline to carry Marcellus and Utica shale gas from area processing plants to multiple markets. With an open season under way, the project could grow to 3.25 Bcf/d, ETP said.

For some time now, Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX) has heard the call from the Appalachian Basin: “Go West, Rockies pipeline.” REX recently filed with FERC for a project that would do just that, enabling Appalachian producers to access Midwest markets.

As it continues to narrow its focus on the Appalachian Basin, Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. announced its third joint venture (JV), agreeing to further develop acreage in the southernmost tip of Ohio’s Utica Shale with privately held EdgeMarc (EM) Energy Ohio LLC.

Diamondback Energy Inc.’s unique Permian Basin subsidiary Viper Energy Partners LP on Monday completed its better-than-anticipated initial public offering (IPO), which was continuing to draw enthusiastic investors to begin the week.

Although New England faces a host of natural gas transmission and storage challenges, many projects are in various stages of development in the region, according to a panel of energy industry executives.

Gastar Exploration Inc. said Monday it had reached a total depth of 11,410 feet at its first Utica Shale well in West Virginia, adding that the information it has gathered thus far about the formation is meeting the company’s expectations.

As natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica shales in the Northeast continues to soar, the industry faces a delicate balancing act on what types of pipelines or liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects make economic sense to construct in order to get the gas to market, a panel of industry executives said Monday.