变化无常的冬季供暖季导致价格解冻，加上主要由政治因素引发的外卖限制，共同限制了位于全国一半人口聚集区门口的阿巴拉契亚盆地的天然气生产。  

美国能源信息管理局 (EIA) 估计，在天然气价格波动的情况下，宾夕法尼亚州、西弗吉尼亚州和俄亥俄州盆地干湿天然气 Marcellus 和 Utica 页岩的运营商预计 2 月份产量将达到 35,372 MMcfd（图 1）。同比减少约 4,625 MMcfd。 

图 1：1 月至 2 月阿巴拉契亚天然气产量预计将增加 93 MMcfd，但仍低于 2022 年 2 月的产量。资料来源：美国能源信息署（EIA）

去年的大部分时间里，天然气价格都在波动，并一直持续到 2023 年，由于 12 月底致命的北极爆炸被异常温暖的天气所取代，迎接新年，2 月交割的期货价格于 1 月 4 日跌至 4.172 美元/MMBtu。EIA 预计今年亨利中心基准天然气现货价格平均将低于 5.00 美元/MMBtu。8 月 22 日，价格触及 2022 年高点 9.85 美元/MMBtu。  

切萨皮克能源公司执行副总裁兼首席运营官 Josh Viets 去年 11 月在美国银行证券全球能源会议上表示：“我仍然看好天然气前景，但毫无疑问，我们会在短期内看到一些波动。” 1 月 18 日，切萨皮克以 14.25 亿美元的价格出售了其 Eagle Ford Brazos Valley 资产的约 377,000 净英亩土地和 27,000 桶石油当量，之后又回到了其天然气根源。 

贝克休斯表示，撇开不利因素不谈，阿巴拉契亚钻井活动在 2022 年全年保持相对稳定，进入 2023 年 1 月份活跃钻机总数为 52 台（图 2）。其中，1 月份有 38 个活跃钻井平台瞄准了马塞勒斯 (Marcellus)，这两个活跃钻井平台较 10 月份的 40 个 2022 年最高水平有所下降，主要位于宾夕法尼亚州航道，运营商正在越来越多地关注上马塞勒斯地平线。 

图 2：去年夏天阿巴拉契亚地区累计钻井活动相对稳定，平均活跃钻机数量约为 48 台。图片：西南能源公司

领先的天然气生产商EQT Corp. 去年运营了多达三台此类钻机，以及一到两台顶孔钻机和两到三台压裂钻机。9 月，殷拓斥资 52 亿美元收购了私人控股的 Tug Hill Operating 和 XCL Midstream，增加了 800 MMcfed 的产量和约 90,000 英亩的净土地，目前三州运营区域的净土地面积为 110 万英亩。  

预计 2022 年全年净产量将达到约 6.1 Bcfed，其中 64 至 79 口净井已上线，比之前的指导减少约 30%。总裁兼首席执行官 Toby Rice 表示，油井已推迟到今年，主要是希望该行业面临的 10% 至 20% 的通胀率能够得到缓解。“我想，在 2023 年将油井移回的好处之一是，我们确实希望服务成本会有所下降，”他说。“但我们希望今天能以当前的价格现货溢价获得这些交易量。”   

他们表示，随着运营商报告创纪录的现金流，将更多天然气运出盆地的困难阻碍了产量的进一步增长。管道运力持续短缺的情况在短期内没有任何缓解的迹象，这主要是由于非生产州（尤其是东北北部地区）的强烈反对。  

外卖困境

“我们继续看到纽约和其他地方的政策制定者推动这样一种说法，即仅风能和太阳能的增长就可以满足全电力世界的需求，包括在寒冷气候下的冬季供暖，如布法罗（纽约州），而无需牺牲承受能力和可靠性，”纽约州威廉斯维尔多元化国家燃气公司总裁兼首席执行官 David Bauer 说道。“愿望与现实之间的差距是巨大的。” 

在过去六年中，至少有五个旨在将阿巴拉契亚天然气输送到东海岸市场的大型管道项目被放弃，主要是由于监管纠纷。其中最主要的是 Williams 的 124 英里宪法管道，该管道旨在将 650 MMcfd 的宾夕法尼亚州天然气输送到东北部消费者。 

CNX 资源公司总裁兼首席执行官 Nicholas DeIuliis 表示： “第三季度真正突出的一个不确定性领域是，我们选出的代表仍然无法就州际管道允许改革达成共识，这令人难以置信。”因此，阿巴拉契亚等待未来管道的建设。” 

CNX 指出，外卖不足阻碍了距离产地一天车程以内的 50% 的美国人口的获取。这一丰富的消费者基础因规模较大的区域工业综合体而得到扩大，而壳牌公司于 11 月启动了人们期待已久的工业综合体，这进一步增强了这一丰富的消费者基础。

宾夕法尼亚州比弗县的聚乙烯生产基地，图 3。 早期估计该设施每天消耗阿巴拉契亚生产的乙烷达 95,000 桶。一项远景提案也在考虑中，即沿着宾夕法尼亚州切斯特的特拉华河建造一座液化天然气 (LNG) 出口设施。位于马里兰州卢斯比切萨皮克湾的 Cove Point 设施处理能力为 1.8 MMcfd .，是该地区唯一的液化天然气出口码头。  

图 3. 位于宾夕法尼亚州的壳牌聚合物莫纳卡 (SPM) 制造工厂于 11 月 15 日投入运营，是东北部第一个大型聚乙烯制造工厂，设计产量为 1.6 MTPA。图片：壳牌

CNX 则在第三季度生产了 1,590.9 MMcfed，略高于上一季度的 1,564.1 MMcfed，但同比下降了约 77.8 MMcfed。第四季度产量预计将保持持平。  

该纯业务运营商在本季度主要位于宾夕法尼亚州的租赁地块上钻了 4 口井，压裂了 11 口井，并将 5 口井投入生产，净面积超过 100 万英亩。此后，CNX 放弃了一台钻机，并将恢复一台钻机、一台压裂扩产计划，图 4 。“我认为，拥有这种非常一致的一台钻机、一台压裂人员计划使我们能够以非常高的效率运营。它使我们能够长期找到合适的服务合作伙伴并发展非常健康的关系，”DeIuliis说。  

图 4. Evolution Well Services 电动压裂在 CNX 井场进行。图片：CNX 资源公司

尽管全流域范围内的外卖限制，塞内卡资源公司（Seneca Resources Co. ）National Fuel 的勘探与生产部门 LLC 2022 财年第四季度产量同比增长 10% 至 87.9 Bcfe。上游实体的目标是 2023 财年总产量在 370 至 390 Bcfe 之间。  

Seneca 总裁贾斯汀·洛维斯 (Justin Loweth) 表示，该公司仅在阿巴拉契亚净英亩 120 万英亩的租赁土地上运营，该公司计划进一步加快生产，第一季度将有 17 口新井上线。Loweth 表示，由于 88% 的产量是根据固定外卖和销售协议进行的，塞内卡已成功缓解整个阿巴拉契亚盆地不断扩大的价格差异。 

同样，“允许关键基础设施项目推迟和取消”的挑战并没有阻止阿巴拉契亚先锋生产商Range Resources Corp. 增加产量，尽管产量不大。第三季度产量为 2.13 Bcfed，较上一季度增长 3%，预计 2022 年最后一个季度的增长率类似。  

Range 预计将于 2022 年在 46 万净英亩的遗产区域内投产 63 口井，主要位于宾夕法尼亚州西南部。“大约一半的油井位于现有产量的油田上，支持 Range 具有成本效益的开发计划，”油藏工程和经济高级副总裁 Alan Farquharson 表示。 

该公司仅使用一台钻机，在第三季度就钻了 7 口井，并完成了 22 口井。Range 计划今年继续配备一台钻机和一名压裂人员。首席运营官丹尼斯·德格纳 (Dennis Degner) 表示：“我们有理由预计第一季度的钻探活动会增加，然后适当制定 2023 年的计划。” 

目标：上马塞勒斯

切萨皮克和其他人现在违背历史规律，密切关注上马塞勒斯作为一个独立或共同开发的地区。“我们正在转向在盆地核心地区共同开发上马塞勒斯，以优化所有库存区域的开发。我们预计 2023 年的计划将是上马塞勒斯和下马塞勒斯的约 50%，”总裁说兼首席执行官多梅尼克·戴尔奥索。 

具体来说，Viets 表示，鉴于大约 100 口 Upper Marcellus 油井已上线并正在生产，该运营商已经获得了“大量数据点”。今年，切萨皮克计划开发平均水平长度为 12,500 英尺的上部区域，而下部 地平线的平均水平长度为 11,000 英尺。来自上马塞勒斯的平均 12 个月累积流量预计约为 450 MMcf/ft，而下层的估计为 580 MMcf/ft。 

“当然，当我们开发下马塞勒斯时，我们已经对其进行了钻探，这样我们就可以从地下的角度来描述它的特征，并了解它在哪里是有前景的，在哪里是没有前景的，”Viets 说。“上部与下部之间真正重要的组成部分之一是两个区域之间有多少障碍。当我们移至该区域的西部时，该障碍会变薄，所以这就是我们开始谈论合作的地方。 - 下马塞勒斯的发展。” 

在第三季度交付 1.99 Bcfd 后，切萨皮克计划将阿巴拉契亚 2022 年全年产量保持在 1.8 Bcfd 至 1.9 Bcfd 之间。该运营商预计去年将钻探 75 至 85 口 Marcellus 井，其中 85 至 95 口已上线。“我们确实预计马塞勒斯号在可预见的未来会受到一定程度的限制，”他说。“我们对该资产的预期是运行大约 5 台钻机。我们认为这将使我们保持在 1.9 (Bcfd) 左右的范围内，直到从盆地的出口角度来看发生变化之前，这就是我们将处于的位置。”  

加上2022 年 1 月以 26 亿美元收购 Chief E&D Holdings LP 获得的 113,000 净英亩土地，切萨皮克控制着宾夕法尼亚州约 650,000 净马塞勒斯英亩土地。Viets 表示，经过一年的时间，考虑到所收购资产的位置和公共收集系统，此次收购为切萨皮克进一步开发 Marcellus 提供了充足的余地。 

“如果你考虑最大化一口井的回报，如果我钻进油田中一个因偏移操作员也在钻探而受到压力的位置，我现在可以控制它，这使我们能够真正有条不紊地制定计划我们的发展，”他说。   

Coterra Energy Inc.表示，最近来自宾夕法尼亚州一个平台的回流数据（包括七口上马塞勒斯井和两口下马塞勒斯井）已证实这两个区域之间存在原位屏障，有效阻止了井间通讯。该项目还包括以 800 英尺间距钻探的 3 口全约束加密井，而现有的 11 口 Lower Marcellus 井抵消了新的上部区域井的影响，累计产量约为 127 Bcf。  

“这使我们能够研究上马塞勒斯和下马塞勒斯之间的井间干扰和沟通，”总裁兼首席执行官汤姆·乔登说。“我们发现上马塞勒斯井和下马塞勒斯井之间几乎没有什么联系，这证实了我们的论点，即分隔它们的珀塞尔石灰岩可以作为有效的压裂屏障。这对于我们上马塞勒斯井的未来开发非常重要。”  

Coterra 表示，与 Lower Marcellus 相比，每英尺开发成本降低 10% 至 15%，并且能够在上层钻探更长的支管，有助于弥补较低的绝对流量。到目前为止，Upper Marcellus 井的平均总产量为 324 Mcf/横向英尺，而该公司的 Lower Marcellus 井在 2021-2022 年期间的平均产量为 406 Mcf/横向英尺。 

Coterra 作为一家新公司迎来了第一个全年，2022 年第三季度的净产量为 2.2 Bcfd，其中有 24 个新钻机、18 个完井井和 25 口井已上线，还有 23 口井有待在第四季度完成预计将有32口井投入生产。截至 11 月 3 日，该公司在宾夕法尼亚州萨斯奎哈纳县 Marcellus 核心区紧密集中的 173,000 净英亩位置上运行着 3 台钻机和 1 名完井人员。到 2022 年底，Coterra 预计将投入 75 至 84 台钻机。 Marcellus 井在线，平均支管长度为 7,350 英尺。  

Coterra 是卡博特石油天然气公司 (Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.) 与西德克萨斯州和俄克拉荷马州生产商 Cimarex Energy 于 2021 年 10 月 1 日进行的价值 170 亿美元的合并的分支。 

尤卡调整 

在过去的几年里，潮湿的尤蒂卡的活动逐渐增加，尤蒂卡从俄亥俄州的球道一直延伸到宾夕法尼亚州的马塞勒斯河下方。据贝克休斯称，1 月份尤蒂卡平均有 14 个活跃钻井平台，超过 11 月份 13 个活跃钻井平台的 2022 年最高水平。运营商正在继续全面描绘区块，同时修改完井设计。 

在扩大其传统的 1,000 英尺井距并增加“适当尺寸”的完井和更长的支线之后，格尔夫波特能源公司已成功将其以尤蒂卡为中心的俄亥俄州租赁地的采收率提高了近一倍。与传统完井设计相比，俄克拉荷马城运营商到 2022 年的平均采收率为 2.2 Bcfe/1,000 英尺，而 2021 年采用传统设计完井的井的平均采收率为 1.4 Bcfe/1,000 英尺. 格尔夫波特于当年五月摆脱破产困境。 

第三季度净产量平均约为 615 MMcfed。2022 年全年计划包括已钻 20 口井（净值 17.9 口），已完成和转产的总口井为 15 口（净值 13.2 口）。  

“我们在第三季度投入了 7 口井，并计划在第四季度再投入 5 口（生产）井，”执行副总裁兼首席财务官 William Buese 表示。“与 1,000 英尺间距的井相比，我们执行了更宽间距的开发计划，利用合适尺寸的完井，并显示出更高的采收率。结果包括我们于 9 月底上线的四井 Extreme 平台。” 

格尔夫波特增加了一台顶孔钻机，计划运行约六个月，然后再恢复单钻机钻井计划。Buese 于 11 月 1 日对分析师表示：“顶孔钻机使我们能够在年底前在尤蒂卡再钻 7 口井。我们计划在 2023 年大约一半的时间里继续使用顶孔钻机，然后再继续使用一台连续钻机“今年的剩余时间。这种活动水平应该使我们能够执行连续八个月的压裂计划，消除在这个紧张的服务市场中释放船员的风险。” 

格尔夫波特在俄亥俄州东部的四个县地区拥有约 193,000 净英亩土地，尤蒂卡河厚度从 600 英尺到超过 750 英尺不等。  

EQT 的莱斯回应了格尔夫波特关于尤蒂卡更宽间距优势的评论。“在尤蒂卡，我们所做的一些科学工作，主要是扩大间距，已经表明每英尺的回收率有所提高，这使得这些回报更具吸引力。”  

Utica 在纯运营商Antero Resources Corp. 的生产流中也占有重要地位，该公司预计到 2022 年底，液体净产量将达到 175,000 至 185,000 桶/日。位于西南核心地区的 501,000 净英亩土地到 2022 年的总产量Marcellus-Utica 预计范围为 3.2 Bcfed 至 3.3 Bcfed。 

Antero 运营着三座钻机和两个完井队，计划在 2022 年钻探 70 至 80 口井，其中 70 至 75 口井的平均水平为 13,800 英尺。凭借对两个南向管网和与 Cove Point 设施的连接的坚定运输承诺， Antero 超过 1 Bcfd 的干气总产量被输送到液化天然气出口终端。  

双盆地运营商Southwestern Energy Co. 预计 2022 年 Marcellus 和 Utica 产量为 2.8 Bcfed 至 2.9 Bcfed，略低于 2021 年约 3.0 Bcfed。阿巴拉契亚井占该地区天然气和液化天然气总产量的 61%该公司还在路易斯安那州海恩斯维尔运营。 

西南航空公司在第三季度将 14 口 Marcellus 和 Utica 油井上线，累计产量为 267 Bcfe，其中包括 84,000 桶/天的液化天然气和 13,000 桶/天的石油。阿巴拉契亚油井投产时平均横向长度为 15,629 英尺。  

该公司控制着宾夕法尼亚州、西弗吉尼亚州和俄亥俄州的 768,000 净英亩土地。在第三季度投产的油井中，有八口位于西南航空超级富裕的西弗吉尼亚州资产中。首席运营官克莱·卡雷尔 (Clay Carrell) 表示：“根据我们丰富的活动和竣工时间，我们预计第四季度石油产量将持平。”  

在被迫 P&A 最近的宾夕法尼亚尤蒂卡油井之后，CNX 将暂时专注于 Marcellus 油井。首席运营官查德·格里芬 (Chad Griffin) 表示，在钻探该井的垂直部分时，尤蒂卡直接上方的地层变得不稳定，各种缓解策略均未成功。 

“我们已经在这个平台上有一些 Marcellus 井，我们计划在明年初（2023 年）让这些井上线。我们会让这些 Marcellus 井生产几年，然后再回到这个平台来获取这些井。同样的尤蒂卡储备，”他在 10 月 27 日的电话会议上说道。“我认为这实际上给我们尤蒂卡计划的推进带来了风险。我们仍然对水库抱有坚定的信心。” 

这不仅仅是钻探 

Archaea Energy Inc. 将一个人的垃圾视为另一个人的温暖，而 EQT Corp. 则押注氢气在富含天然气的阿巴拉契亚盆地能源结构中占有一席之地。  

就在一年前，Archaea 开始将宾夕法尼亚州垃圾填埋场腐烂垃圾排放的高达 12,700 MMBtu/d 的管道质量可再生天然气 (RNG) 输送到当地电网。两个月前，BP斥资超过 41 亿美元收购了成立五年的休斯敦 RNG 公司。BP 美国总裁戴夫·劳勒 (Dave Lawler) 在谈到 12 月 28 日的收购时表示：“通过将 Archaea 完全引入 BP，我们看到了发展我们生物能源业务的巨大机会。” 

位于宾夕法尼亚州邓莫尔 Keystone 卫生垃圾填埋场的 Assai 项目是由垃圾喂养的项目，是 Archaea 国家 RNG 组合中最大的一个。压缩机、膜和管道的专有组合将二氧化碳 (CO 2 ) 与甲烷 (CH 4 ) 分离，将其加工成商业级气体，同时 CO 2被隔离。Archaea 表示，该项目旨在每年减少超过 200,000 吨的CO 2排放量。 

与此同时，在西弗吉尼亚州，殷拓集团于 2022 年第三季度加入了一个公私联盟，旨在建立阿巴拉契亚地区清洁氢中心 (ARCH2)。Battelle、GTI Energy 和 Allegheny Science & Technology (AST) 与 EQT 和西弗吉尼亚州建立了合作伙伴关系，根据去年的协议，该公司正在寻求分享美国能源部 (DOE) 为此类项目承诺的 80 亿美元资金。基础设施投资和就业法。  

EQT 总裁兼首席执行官表示： “阿巴拉契亚地区拥有丰富的低成本、低排放天然气、互联的基础设施和存储、现有的运输网络以及靠近主要最终用途市场，非常适合引领美国清洁氢生产。”托比·赖斯.  

该联盟计划在今年春季之前提交完整的能源部申请，预计将于秋季就该中心做出最终决定。  

主图： 宾夕法尼亚州切萨皮克运营的一台钻井平台周围，秋叶环绕。图片：切萨皮克能源公司 

关于作者

吉姆·雷登

特约编辑

Jim Redden 是休斯敦的一名顾问，毕业于马歇尔大学新闻系，拥有 40 多年的作家、编辑和企业传播经验，主要从事上游石油和天然气行业的工作。

Thawing prices from a fickle winter heating season and largely politically-induced takeaway restrictions have combined to rein in gas production from the premier Appalachian basin, situated on the doorstep of half of the nation's population cluster.  

Amid seesawing gas prices, operators across the basin's dry and wet gas Marcellus and Utica shales of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio are expected to produce 35,372 MMcfd in February (Fig. 1), guesstimates the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a number which would be some 4,625 MMcfd less, year-over-year. 

Fig. 1. January to February Appalachian gas production is forecast to rise by 93 MMcfd, but remains below February 2022 production. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Gas prices vacillated for much of last year and continued into 2023, where futures for February delivery dropped to $4.172/MMBtu on Jan. 4, as a deadly arctic blast in late December gave way to unseasonably warm weather to greet the new year. The EIA projects spot gas prices on the Henry Hub benchmark will average less than $5.00/MMBtu this year. Prices hit a 2022 high of $9.85/MMBtu on Aug. 22.  

"I remain bullish on the outlook for natural gas, but there's no doubt we see some volatility in the near-term," Chesapeake Energy Corp. EVP and COO Josh Viets told the Bank of America Securities Global Energy Conference last November. Chesapeake is returning to its gassy roots following the $1.425 billion sale of around 377,000 net acres and 27,000 boed of oil production in its Eagle Ford Brazos Valley asset on Jan. 18. 

Headwinds aside, Appalachian drilling activity remained relatively steady throughout 2022 and entered 2023 with a combined 52 rigs active in January (Fig.2), according to Baker Hughes. Of those, 38 active rigs targeted the Marcellus in January—two active rigs off from the 2022 high of 40 in October—mainly in the Pennsylvania fairway, where operators are increasing focus on the Upper Marcellus horizon. 

Fig. 2. Cumulative Appalachian drilling activity was relatively steady last summer, averaging around 48 active rigs. Image: Southwestern Energy Co.

Leading gas producer EQT Corp. operated up to three of those rigs last year, along with one to two top hole rigs and two to three frac spreads. In September, EQT spent $5.2 billion to acquire privately held Tug Hill Operating and XCL Midstream, adding 800 MMcfed of production and around 90,000 net acres to their possession, which now comprises 1.1 million net acres across the tri-state operating area.  

Full-year 2022 net production was projected to reach roughly 6.1 Bcfed, with 64 to 79 net wells turned-in-line—some 30% fewer than previously guided. President and CEO Toby Rice said wells have pushed back to this year, largely in hopes that the 10% to 20% inflation rate the industry has faced will ease. "One of the benefits of moving wells back in 2023, I guess, is that we do hope service costs will abate a bit," he said. "But we'd like to have those volumes today with the current price backwardations."   

With operators reporting record cash flows, further production growth, they say, is being hampered by difficulties in moving more gas out of the basin. The lingering dearth of pipeline capacity, which shows no sign of easing anytime soon, is driven largely by backlash from non-producing states, particularly in the Upper Northeast.  

TAKEAWAY WOES

"We continue to see policymakers in New York and elsewhere pushing the narrative that growth in wind and solar, alone, can meet the needs of a fully electric world, including for winter heating in cold climates, like Buffalo (N.Y.), without sacrificing affordability and reliability, " says David Bauer, president and CEO of diversified National Fuel Gas Co. of Williamsville, N.Y. "The gap between aspirations and reality is remarkable." 

Over the past six years, no less than five major pipeline projects designed to move Appalachian gas to East Coast markets have been abandoned, primarily over regulatory squabbles. Chief among those was Williams' 124-mi Constitution pipeline that had been designed to transport 650 MMcfd of Pennsylvania gas to northeastern consumers. 

"An area of uncertainty that played really prominently during the third quarter is the continued inability of our elected representatives to achieve consensus on interstate pipeline permitting reform, which is hard to believe," says Nicholas DeIuliis, president and CEO of CNX Resources Corp. "So, Appalachia awaits future pipelines to be built." 

CNX points out that insufficient takeaway prevents access to 50% of the U.S. population that lies within a day's drive of the producing region. This rich consumer base is augmented with a sizeable regional industrial complex, bolstered in November with the long-awaited start-up of the Shell

polyethylene manufacturing complex in Beaver County, Pa., Fig. 3. Earlier estimates had the facility consuming up to 95,000 bpd of Appalachia-produced ethane. A long-shot proposal is also on the table to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility along the Delaware River in Chester, Pa. With a processing capacity of 1.8 MMcfd, the Cove Point facility on Chesapeake Bay, in Lusby, Md., is the region's lone LNG export terminal.  

Fig. 3. The Shell Polymers Monaca (SPM) manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, which became operational on Nov. 15, is the first major polyethylene manufacturing complex in the Northeast with a designed output of 1.6 MTPA. Image: Shell

CNX, for its part, produced 1,590.9 MMcfed in the third quarter, up modestly from the 1,564.1 MMcfed in the quarter prior but down by around 77.8 MMcfed, year-over year. Fourth-quarter production is expected to remain flat.  

The pure play operator drilled four wells, fraced 11 and hooked five up to production during the quarter on a mainly Pennsylvania leasehold that encompassed more than 1 million net acres. CNX has since dropped one rig and will resume a one rig, one frac spread program, Fig.4. "I think having this very consistent one-rig, one-frac crew plan makes us operate at a very high level of efficiency. It allows us to secure the right service partners on a long-term basis and develop very healthy relationships," DeIuliis said.  

Fig. 4. An Evolution Well Services electric frac spread on location at a CNX well site. Image: CNX Resources Corp.

Despite the basin-wide takeaway restrictions, Seneca Resources Co. LLC, National Fuel's E&P arm, increased FY 2022 fourth-quarter production, year-over-year, by 10% to 87.9 Bcfe. The upstream entity has targeted total FY 2023 production at between 370 and 390 Bcfe.  

Seneca, which operates exclusively in a 1.2-million-net-acre Appalachian leasehold, plans to further accelerate production, with 17 new wells coming online in the first quarter, says President Justin Loweth. With 88% of production under firm takeaway and sales agreements, Loweth said Seneca has managed to mitigate the widening price differentials seen throughout the Appalachia basin.  

Challenging "permitting delays and cancellations of critical infrastructure projects," likewise, have not prevented pioneer Appalachian producer Range Resources Corp. from increasing production, albeit modestly. Third-quarter production of 2.13 Bcfed was up 3% over the quarter prior, with a similar growth rate envisioned for the final quarter of 2022.  

Range expected to put 63 wells on production in 2022 within a legacy 460,000-net-acre position, primarily in southwestern Pennsylvania. "Approximately half of the wells are located on pads with existing production, supporting Range's cost-efficient development plans," says Sr. VP of Reservoir Engineering and Economics Alan Farquharson. 

Running a single rig, the company drilled seven wells in the third quarter and completed 22 wells. Range plans to continue with one rig and one frac crew this year. "It would be reasonable to expect us to see an increase in drilling activity in Q1 to then properly shape our program for 2023," said COO Dennis Degner. 

TARGET: UPPER MARCELLUS

Going against the historical grain, Chesapeake and others are now looking closely at the Upper Marcellus as a standalone or co-developed zone. "We're moving to a co-development of the Upper Marcellus in the core of the basin, to optimize development of all zones of inventory. We expect the 2023 program to be about 50% Upper Marcellus and Lower Marcellus," says President and CEO Domenic Dell'Osso. 

Specifically, Viets said the operator has already acquired "a number of data points," given that some 100 Upper Marcellus wells are online and producing. This year, Chesapeake plans to develop the upper zone with its average 12,500-ft horizontal reaches, compared to the average 11,000-ft laterals in the lower horizon. Average 12-month cumulative flow from the Upper Marcellus is guided at around 450 MMcf/ft, compared to an estimated 580 MMcf/ft for the lower horizon. 

"Of course, as we develop the Lower Marcellus, we've drilled through it so that's allowed us to characterize it from a subsurface standpoint and have an understanding where it's prospective and where it's not," Viets said. "One of the really important components of the upper versus the lower is how much of a barrier do I have between the two zones. That barrier thins as we move out into the western part of the acreage, so that's where we start talking about co-development of the Lower with the Upper Marcellus."  

After delivering 1.99 Bcfd in the third quarter, Chesapeake planned to hold full-year 2022 Appalachia production at between 1.8 Bcfd and 1.9 Bcfd. The operator projected that 75 to 85 Marcellus wells will have been drilled last year, with 85 to 95 put online. "We do expect the Marcellus to be somewhat constrained for the foreseeable future," he said. "Our expectation for that asset is to run roughly five rigs. We think that holds us flat at around the 1.9 (Bcfd) range, and until something changes from an export standpoint in the basin, that's where we're going to be."  

With the addition of 113,000 net acres, acquired in the $2.6-billion acquisition of Chief E&D Holdings LP in January 2022, Chesapeake controls around 650,00 net Marcellus acres in Pennsylvania. With a year under its belt, the acquisition has given Chesapeake ample leeway for further development of the Marcellus, given the location of the acquired asset and the common gathering system, Viets says. 

"If you think about maximizing return on a well, if I drill into a spot in the field where it's pressured up because an offset operator has also been drilling, I now control that, and that allows us to really be methodical about how we plan our development," he said.   

Coterra Energy Inc. said recent flowback data from a Pennsylvania pad, comprising seven Upper and two Lower Marcellus wells, has confirmed an in-situ barrier between the two zones that effectively heads off inter-well communication. The project also contained three fully bound infill wells drilled at 800-ft spacing, while 11 existing Lower Marcellus wells offset the new upper-zone wells with cumulative production of around 127 Bcf.  

"This has allowed us to study well-to-well interference and communication between the Upper and Lower Marcellus," says President and CEO Tom Jorden. "We see little communication between the Upper and Lower Marcellus wells, confirming our thesis that the Purcell limestone that separates them serves as an effective frac barrier. This will be very important to our future development of the Upper Marcellus."  

Coterra says the 10% to 15% lower development costs/ft and the capacity to drill longer laterals in the upper horizon help compensate for the lower absolute flow volumes, compared to the Lower Marcellus. The Upper Marcellus wells, thus far, are averaging an aggregate 324 Mcf/lateral ft, compared to the average 406 Mcf/lateral ft of the company’s Lower Marcellus wells turned-in-line during the 2021-2022 period. 

Marking its first full year as a new company, Coterra closed out the third quarter of 2022 with net production of 2.2 Bcfd, with 24 new drills, 18 completions and 25 wells out online, along with 23 wells remaining to be completed in the fourth quarter and 32 wells expected to go into production. As of Nov. 3, the company was running three rigs and one completion crew on a tightly concentrated 173,000-net-acre position in the Marcellus core of Susquehanna County, Pa. At year-end 2022, Coterra expected to have put 75 to 84 Marcellus wells online, with laterals averaging 7,350 ft.  

Coterra is the offshoot of the surprising $17-billion merger of Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and West Texas and Oklahoma producer Cimarex Energy that occurred on Oct. 1, 2021. 

UTICA TWEAKS 

Over the last couple of years, activity has gradually increased in the wetter Utica, which extends from its Ohio fairway into Pennsylvania, where it underlies the Marcellus. According to Baker Hughes, 14 rigs were active, on average, in the Utica during January, eclipsing the 2022 high of 13 active rigs in November. Operators are continuing to fully delineate the play while modifying completion designs.  

After widening its traditional 1,000-ft well spacing and adding "right-sized" completions and longer laterals, Gulfport Energy Corp has managed to nearly double recoveries within its Utica-focused Ohio leasehold. Compared to its traditional completions design, the Oklahoma City, Okla., operator has seen average recoveries of 2.2 Bcfe/1,000 ft in 2022, compared to a medium recovery rate of 1.4 Bcfe/1,000 ft in wells last completed with the legacy design in 2021. Gulfport emerged from bankruptcy in May of that year. 

Third-quarter net production averaged approximately 615 MMcfed. The full-year 2022 program was to include 20 gross (17.9 net) wells drilled with 15 gross (13.2 net) wells completed and turned-in-line.  

"We turned-in-line seven wells in the third quarter, with five additional (producing) wells planned in the fourth quarter," said Executive VP and CFO William Buese. "We executed our wider spacing development plan, utilizing right-sized completions, and showed increased recovery factors, compared to the 1,000-ft spaced wells. The results include our four-well Extreme pad brought online in late September." 

Gulfport added a top hole rig, which it plans to run for around six months before resuming a single-rig drilling program. "The top hole rig allows us to drill seven additional wells in the Utica before year-end," Buese told analysts on Nov. 1. "We plan to continue with this top hole for roughly half of 2023 before continuing with one continuous rig for the balance of the year. This level of activity should allow us to execute a continuous eight-month frac program, eliminating the risk of releasing crews in this tight service market." 

Gulfport holds some 193,000 net acres in a four-county eastern Ohio area, where the Utica ranges in thickness from 600 ft to more than 750 ft.  

EQT's Rice echoed Gulfport's commentary on the advantages of wider spacing in the Utica. "Over in the Utica, some of the science work that we've done, primarily widening spacing, has shown increased recoveries per foot, which makes those returns more attractive."  

The Utica also figures heavily in the production stream of pure play operator Antero Resources Corp., which forecasts net liquids production of 175,000 to 185,000 bpd at year-end 2022. Total 2022 production from a 501,000-net-acre position in the southwestern core of the Marcellus-Utica is expected to range from 3.2 Bcfed to 3.3 Bcfed. 

Operating three rigs and two completion crews, Antero planned to drill 70 to 80 wells in 2022, with 70 to 75 wells completed at average laterals of 13,800 ft. With firm transportation commitments on two southbound pipeline networks and a connection to the Cove Point facility, more than 1 Bcfd of Antero's total dry gas production is funneled to LNG export terminals.  

Dual-basin operator Southwestern Energy Co. expected to close out 2022 with Marcellus and Utica production of 2.8 Bcfed to 2.9 Bcfed, down slightly from the roughly 3.0 Bcfed produced in 2021. Appalachian wells account for 61% of total gas and NGL production of the company, which also operates in the Louisiana Haynesville play. 

Southwestern turned 14 Marcellus and Utica wells online in the third quarter, which recorded a cumulative production mix of 267 Bcfe, including 84,000 bpd of NGLs and 13,000 bpd of oil. The Appalachian wells were put on production at average lateral lengths of 15,629 ft.  

The company controls 768,000 net acres across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Of the wells put onstream in the third quarter, eight were in Southwestern's super-rich West Virginia asset. "In the fourth quarter, based on our super-rich activity and the timing of completions, we anticipate holding oil volumes flat," said COO Clay Carrell.  

After being forced to P&A a recent Pennsylvania Utica well, CNX will concentrate on the Marcellus for the time being. While drilling the vertical section of the well, the formation directly overlying the Utica became unstable, with various mitigation strategies proving unsuccessful, said COO Chad Griffin. 

"We already had a handful of Marcellus wells on this pad, and we plan to get those wells online early next year (2023). We'll let those Marcellus wells produce for a few years before we come back to this pad to access those same Utica reserves," he said on an Oct. 27 call. "I think this actually derisks our Utica program moving forward. We still believe very strongly in the reservoir." 

It ain't all about drilling 

Archaea Energy Inc. sees one person's trash as another person's warmth, while EQT Corp. is betting hydrogen has a place in the gas-rich Appalachia basin energy mix.  

Just over a year ago, Archaea began funneling as much as 12,700 MMBtu/d of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) from decaying trash emissions at a Pennsylvania landfill and into the local power grid. Two months ago, BP forked over $4.1 billion to acquire the five-year-old Houston RNG company. "We see enormous opportunity to grow our bioenergy business by bringing Archaea fully into BP,” BP American President Dave Lawler said of the Dec. 28 acquisition. 

The rubbish-fed Project Assai, at the Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Dunmore, Pa., is the largest of Archaea's national RNG portfolio. The proprietary combination of compressors, membranes and pipes separates carbon dioxide (CO2) from the methane (CH4), which is processed into commercial-grade gas, while the CO2 is sequestered. Archaea says the project is designed to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 200,000 metric tons per year. 

Meanwhile, in West Virginia, EQT joined a public-private coalition in the third quarter of 2022 that aims to establish the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2). Battelle, GTI Energy and Allegheny Science & Technology (AST) joined EQT and the State of West Virginia in the partnership, which is seeking a share of the $8 billion the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed for such projects, under last year's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.  

"Appalachia is ideally suited to lead the charge in clean hydrogen production in the United States, given abundant low cost, low emissions natural gas, interconnected infrastructure and storage, existing transportation networks and proximity to major end use markets," says EQT President and CEO Toby Rice.  

The coalition intends to submit a full DOE application by this spring, with a final decision on the hub expected in the fall.  

Lead Photo: Autumn foliage surrounds a Chesapeake-operated rig at work in Pennsylvania. Image: Chesapeake Energy Corp. 

About the Authors

Jim Redden

Contributing Editor

Jim Redden is a Houston-based consultant and a journalism graduate of Marshall University, has more than 40 years of experience as a writer, editor and corporate communicator, primarily on the upstream oil and gas industry.