Source: Daily Business Journal
PITTSBURGH — Consol Energy Inc.’s oil and gas division produced 51.9 billion cubic feet equivalent of natural gas during the second quarter of 2014, a 34% increase from the same period a year ago, the company reported today.
The company also announced that it placed into production last week three new Utica shale wells at its NBL19 pad in northern Noble County, Ohio. The pad saw initial production rates of 23 million cubic feet equivalent per day, per lateral.
The NBL19 pad was completed with an average of 64 frac stages per well and had an average lateral length of 9,510 feet, Consol said. The pad, which had a controlled drawdown in pressure, yielded 24-hour average rates that included condensate yields of 70 barrels per million cubic feet of gas and an estimated natural gas liquids yield of 55 barrels per million cubic feet of gas.
Each of the three wells achieved peak flow rates of approximately 18 million cubic feet per day, which would equate to 33.4 million cubic feet per day. In the Ohio dry gas area, Consol has started drilling the top-hole on one dry Utica and one Marcellus in Monroe County, Ohio, and expects to drill the horizontal for each well early in the fourth quarter in 2014.
“The E&P division continues to achieve production targets while focusing on improving operational efficiencies,” says Nicholas Deluliis, president and CEO. “CONSOL is improving cycle times from spud to turning a well in-line with improvements in both drilling and completion efficiencies. Specifically, we are reducing the number of days to drill wells and time to move a horizontal rig, as well as increasing stages completed per day. These improvements will not only help compress cycle times but will also result in growing our gas production even more efficiently.”
Consol reported its net production for the second quarter included 542 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, 1,209 barrels per day of oil/condensates, and 3,514 barrels per day of natural gas liquids.
The three Noble County wells turned into production last week are near Consol’s NBL16 pad, which contains two wells: the NBL16A and NBL16B. The NBL16A had a lateral length of approximately 4,900 feet and tested at 12.0 million cubic feet per day plus 768 barrels oil per day. The NBL16B had a lateral length of approximately 3,400 feet and is currently undergoing completion activity. Both NBL16 wells are scheduled for production in August.
Consol also reported five wells at its nearby NBL18 pad are undergoing fracture stimulation and will be placed into production in October. These wells have an average lateral length of 5,400 feet. Another pad, the three-well NBL30 pad with average laterals of 4,800 feet, is expected to come in-line in September.
The company said it expects to place in production two or three well pads — or between eight and 13 wells — during the third quarter.
Consol reported it drilled 11 new wells and completed 12 wells during the quarter in the Utica.
In the Marcellus Shale, in Westmoreland County, Pa., Consol said its three-well Shaw pad was completed using with an average of 27 stages per well and had an average lateral length of 3,965 feet. The initial 24-hour production averaged over 7.8 million cubic per day, which are particularly strong results given the shorter lateral lengths.
In Washington County, Pa., the eight-well WFN6 pad was recently brought online with an average lateral length of 6,100 feet. The 24-hour initial production rate averaged approximately eight million cubic per day and 10 barrels of condensate per million cubic feet of gas.
Consol reported it drilled 48 new wells and completed 51 wells in the Marcellus shale during the quarter.