Antero Expanding Marcellus Drilling into Utica Shale in Ohio

Duane Nichols — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:56:35 +0000

Antero Domain in WV & PA

Antero Planning for Drilling in Belmont County, Ohio

From article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, March 11, 2013

Belmont County, OH – Many individual mineral owners are joining the village of Barnsville drilling agreement with Denver-based Antero Resources at a rate of $5,700 per acre and 20 percent of production royalties. Antero held a series of lease signing meetings throughout Barnesville in February and early March, during which Mayor Ron Bischof said the driller received a very positive response from most residents. The agreement the private mineral owners signed is the same one village leaders inked with Antero last year.

Barnsville is about 5 miles south of I-70 (US 40) and 30 miles west of Wheeling, WV.

Belmont County records show Antero already has more than 800 separate lease agreements there with intention to drill. The driller also has active operations in Noble and Monroe counties, reaching a depth of 8,132 feet at one Monroe County well, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources records. This year, Antero plans to operate an average of 12 drilling rigs in the Marcellus and 2 rigs in the Utica. These 14 rigs will be supplemented by four shallow rigs that will drill the vertical section of some horizontal wells down to the point at which the wells will turn horizontally, about 6,000 feet under the ground.

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Marcellus Shale Activities of Antero in Western PA and Northwestern WV

Antero has 301,000 net acres of leasehold located in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, all in the southwestern core of the Marcellus Shale Play. See the Antero web-site here. [Example drilling lease parameters in this region are $1500 per acre and 15% royalty for a 5 year lease.].

Antero currently has 458 MMcf per day of gross operated production or 364 MMcfe per day net in the Marcellus Shale. The net daily production figure includes approximately 1,400 Bbls per day of NGLs and oil.
Antero has drilled and completed 135 horizontal Marcellus Shale wells, 130 of which are online, and is in the process of drilling and completing 28 additional horizontal wells.
Five recently completed wells in the rich gas area are shut-in, waiting on pipeline (expected March and June 2013).
Operating 13 drilling rigs in West Virginia.
Antero sold its gathering facilities in an area of dedication in Harrison County and southeastern Doddrige County, WV to Crestwood Midstream Partners in March 2012.
Antero is constructing its own gathering facilities in the remainder of Doddridge County and in Ritchie County, WV to conGnect its wells to compression facilities and processing.
Antero is currently processing approximately 130 MMcfd of rich gas production from the Marcellus Shale through MarkWest’s 200 MMcf per day Sherwood I Plant, which is fully operational.
Markwest is constructing a second 200 MMcf per day plant, Sherwood II, which is also fully dedicated to Antero and is expected to go in-service in the second quarter of 2013.

See also the color graphics and maps in this 38 page ANTERO REPORT dated March 2013.

Drilling Rig and Truck Accidents Continue in Northern West Virginia

Duane Nichols — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:06:05 +0000

: Wetzel Chronicle photo

Drilling rig worker dies in accident at Marion County preparation plant

From Associate Press report, January 14th

FAIRVIEW , WV — Federal regulators said Tuesday the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has jurisdiction over a fatal accident involving a gas-drilling rig at a coal mine prep plant.

An unidentified worker died Monday night when the rig overturned and crushed him at CONSOL Energy’s Loveridge Mine preparation plant in Fairview, said Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesman Jesse Lawder.

The rig was doing exploratory work on Marcellus Shale gas deposits, he said, drilling 30-foot holes and setting off explosives for seismic testing.

The state Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training said it had turned the case over to OSHA because the accident didn’t occur on bonded mine property.

Pennsylvania-based CONSOL, meanwhile, said it’s cooperating in the investigation. CONSOL had given Seitel Inc. access to its property, and the Texas-based company had obtained the necessary permits, said spokeswoman Lynn Seay. “The independent testing was not associated with CONSOL Energy’s active coal mining or gas operations,” she said.

Seitel officials referred questions about the accident to Omni Energy Services Corp. of Louisiana. Vice President Mark Stipe acknowledged the accident involved one of his employees but declined to identify him. “The accident investigation is ongoing at this point, and we are cooperating fully with government officials,” he said in an email. “We mourn the loss of our employee, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

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Truck accidents cause delays in Wetzel County

Article by Amy Witchey, Wetzel Chronicle, January 16, 2013

On January 9th at approximately 9:50 a.m. a drilling rig owned by Sun Energy Drilling went into the ditch from the northwest-bound lane of state Route 20 on the northwest side of Reader. Sheriff John Brookover said the driver of the truck said an oncoming truck crowded his side of the road-leaving him the choice of hitting the truck or the ditch. He chose the latter.

The drilling company reportedly had to bring a wrecker out of Morgantown to handle the incident. By the time it got to the scene, it was already afternoon and nearing time for school to release.

The incident caused some major transportation problems. Wetzel County School Transportation Director Brian Jones said several buses, ones from Valley, Shortline, and special needs from New Martinsville, had to be re-routed. “It caused a lot of trouble,” said Jones. Of extra concern were the special needs students, said Jones, “When their schedules are disrupted, sometimes that’s not a little thing.”

“Courtesy is they could have and should have waited until our buses got the kids out (to block both lanes for the recovery),” said Jones, who added that it also stopped some parents from getting to schools to pick up students. “The truck traffic, the industry, needs to be more considerate of our most precious commodity, our children. There’s nothing more important than the safety of the students in Wetzel County.”

Jones also cited three more truck wrecks — at Galmish, Fallen Timber, and American Ridge –since that incident that affected bus routes. However, he said, “Those were minor things.”

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Water tanker truck rolls over in Marshall County

Article by Laurie Conway, Digital Journalist – October 9, 2012

MOUNDSVILLE, WV - A man was taken to the hospital early Tuesday morning after the truck he was driving rolled over in Marshall County. The West Virginia Department of Highways will investigate the accident

According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, a water tanker truck flipped over on Route 250 near Wayman’s Ridge. The water in the truck was reported to contain no chemicals.

Frack Check WV » rigs

Antero Expanding Marcellus Drilling into Utica Shale in Ohio

Drilling Rig and Truck Accidents Continue in Northern West Virginia

Truck accidents cause delays in Wetzel County