Energy company reports top production well in Ohio
Nov 29, 2012 (Menafn - The Akron Beacon Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Gulfport Energy Corp. keeps striking it rich.
The Oklahoma company has a new well in Belmont County that it reports is the biggest producer in Ohio.
The well, known as Shugert 1-12H, tested at 28.5 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, plus 300 barrels of oil and 2,907 barrels of natural gas liquids, the company said in an announcement Tuesday.
Those figures are equivalent to 7,482 barrels of oil per day, making the well No. 1 in Ohio for combined natural gas volume, natural gas liquids and barrels of oil.
The new well is expected to be in full production by the end of January, the company said.
Gulfport's report means the company now boasts the four biggest producing wells in Ohio, and the news could trigger broader drilling interest in Belmont County.
"We are very pleased to announce another strong flow test from our position in the Utica shale of eastern Ohio," Jim Palm, Gulfport CEO, said in a news release. "Our results, to date, continue to validate our high expectations for the play."
The previous No. 1 Ohio well is Gulfport Energy's Shugert 1-1H well, which sits beside the new well in Kirkwood Township.
The Shugert 1-1H well tested at an initial rate of 20 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, plus an initial 144 barrels of condensate per day and 2,002 barrels per day of natural gas liquids.
Peak production rate was 4,913 barrels of oil equivalents per day, the company said.
In August, Gulfport had reported big success at its Wagner well in Ohio's Harrison County. That well is producing 17.1 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, plus 432 barrels of oil and 1,881 barrels of natural gas liquids, the company said.
That is equal to 4,650 barrels of oil equivalents.
Gulfport has drilled 12 wells in eastern Ohio and is working on two additional wells. It said it intends to drill 50 wells in eastern Ohio in 2013.
The typical nonhorizontal well in Ohio produces about 50,000 cubic feet of gas per day and less than one barrel of oil. Such a well produces between 100 and 150 barrels of oil equivalents per day.
There is limited information on Ohio wells. To date, drillers have offered information on only 16 of them. Companies must report production data next spring to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
A total of 457 Utica shale wells have been permitted in Ohio, of which 187 have been drilled. A total of 45 wells are in full production. The others are awaiting completion of pipelines and processing plants. A total of 29 drilling rigs are working in Ohio.
In a related announcement, Gulfport and Colorado-based MarkWest Utica EMG LLC began processing natural gas from Gulfport wells at an interim processing plant in Cadiz. That marks Gulfport Energy's first sales from the Utrica shale.
The refrigeration equipment at Cadiz can handle up to 60 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. It is handling gas from the Wagner and the Boy Scout wells in Harrison County. Permanent processing facilities are under construction.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournjal.com.
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