The Marcellus Shale | June 2023
Field Overview
The Marcellus Shale is the largest gas play onshore in the US. Located in the Northeast, it supplies the high-demand markets along the East Coast. Most of the basin’s gas is produced through unconventional methods, while the little oil produced is mostly by conventional means. Some of the top formations include the Onondaga and the Huntersville.
State Drilling Statistics
Active Drilling Rigs in Basin- 35 (-)
Total Rigs in Pennsylvania- 23 (-)
Total Rigs in the United States- 675 (
-7)
Total U.S. Rigs 10.7% YTD
Marcellus Top Producers
Top Producer By BOE – Chesapeake
Basin Highlights
*A Pennsylvania Community Wins a Reprieve on Toxic Fracking Wastewater
The Yanity well, a now regionally notorious well near Grant Township east of Pittsburgh, was slated to be converted from a natural gas producing well into a wastewater injection well. Residents were concerned about the prospect of reinjected wastewater contaminating drinking water. Litigators pointed to a potential geologic fault that might provide hydraulic communication between the injection bench to the water table. As such, the company has elected to not convert the well into an injection site.
The Effort to Plug Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Oil Wells
Pennsylvania will be receiving $400 million in federal funds in order to plug the state’s quarter-million idle oil and gas wells. Pennsylvania is saddled with the unique challenge of having the world’s oldest oil wells as oil was first commercially drilled-for in Oil Creek, Pennsylvania in 1859. Many are not marked or recorded with the State, making the locating and abandoning of the wells particularly difficult. As urban sprawl has progressed, many abandoned wellbores are now underneath parking lots, buildings, and other structures, complicating the P&A procedure.
Operators with the Most Permits
| Rank | Company | Permits Approved |
| 1 | Chesapeake | 13 |
| 2 | EQT | 13 |
| 3 | Coterra Energy | 12 |
| 4 | Snyder Brothers | 11 |
| 5 | CNX | 8 |
Monthly Gas Production
| Change | Rank | Company | Gas Production (BCF) |
| – | 1 | EQT | 162 |
| – | 2 | Chesapeake | 127 |
| – | 3 | Antero Resources | 92 |
| – | 4 | Coterra Energy | 86 |
| – | 5 | Southwest Energy | 83 |
Rig Count
PA Oil Production
PA Natural Gas Production
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