Utica’s May production expected to increase

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Both natural-gas and oil production in the Utica Shale Play is expected to increase in May 2016 over May 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s drilling productivity report.

The report uses recent drilling data through March, estimates of drilling productivity and estimated changes in production from current oil and natural-gas wells to provide estimates in oil and natural-gas production in seven plays.

This month, the Utica, which covers Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, is expected to produce more than 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. In May 2015, however, production was right at 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day.

Oil production was below 400,000 barrels a day in May 2015 and is expected to be below 400,000 in May 2016.

New-well oil production this month is expected to be 331 barrels a day – an increase over May 2015.

This month, production from new wells is expected to be more than 7.1 million cubic feet a day. Last May, production was below 6 million cubic feet of natural gas a day.

In April this year, the Utica saw production of 319 barrels of oil a day and 7,036 million cubic feet of natural gas a day from new wells.