Utica, Marcellus Production Expected to Drop in September

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Energy Information Agency projects oil and natural gas production in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays to drop in September.

According to EIA’s monthly drilling productivity report, natural gas production across the Utica and Marcellus – collectively known as the Appalachian basin – is expected to drop by 203 million cubic feet per day in September compared to August.  

Much of the Utica shale is drilled in eastern Ohio, while the Marcellus is dominant in western Pennsylvania and portions of West Virginia.

EIA estimates wells in Appalachia will produce 32.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in September, down from 32.6 billion cubic feet in August.

The drop represents the largest month-to-month reduction in natural gas output of the seven major shale plays across the country, EIA reports. 

The Anadarko shale play in Oklahoma is projected to experience the second-largest drop in natural gas production in September, reducing output by 126 million cubic feet of gas per day compared to the previous month.

Just two shale plays, the Bakken in North Dakota and Permian in Texas, are expected to show natural gas increases next month, according to EIA.

Oil production across the Utica and Marcellus is also expected to decline in September, EIA said.  The agency projects that the Appalachian basin will yield 114,000 barrels of oil per day in September, down from 115,000 barrels per day in August.

Pictured: A shale gas drilling site in St. Mary’s, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

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