Ohio’s oil, natural gas production increases in 4Q

Staff report

COLUMBUS

During the fourth quarter of 2015, Ohio’s horizontal shale wells produced 6,249,116 barrels of oil and 303 billion cubic feet of natural gas, according to figures released Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The production totals for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased over the third quarter of 2015 as oil increased by 10 percent while gas increased by almost 25 percent.

Quarterly production in 2015 also shows a fourth-quarter horizontal shale-well production increase of more than 75 percent for oil and 80 percent for gas from 2014’s fourth-quarter totals.

From 2014 to 2015, oil production increased 99.9 percent from 10,999,162 barrels produced in 2014 compared with 21,983,959 in 2015.

For gas, year-to-year production increased 110.6 percent from 452 billion cubic feet to 953 billion cubic feet.

The ODNR quarterly report lists 1,265 wells, 1,230 of which reported production. Thirty-five wells reported no production. Of the 1,230 wells reporting production results: the average amount of oil produced was 5,081 barrels; the average amount of gas produced was 245 million cubic feet; and the average number of third-quarter days in production was 83.

Ohio law does not require the separate reporting of natural-gas liquids or condensate. Oil and gas reporting totals listed on the report include NGLs and condensate.

All horizontal production reports can be accessed at oilandgas.ohiodnr.gov/production.