Utica Upgraded | Russell T. Rudy Energy LLC
The Utica shale which lies beneath parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York has long been considered a major shale play. However, according to a recent article in “Rigzone”, a study conducted by West Virginia University has found that Utica’s technically recoverable reserves are much larger than expected. In fact, they rival those of the Marcellus shale. Much of the Utica lies beneath the Marcellus and the former has been overshadowed by the latter.
The study found that the Utica’s technically recoverable reserves total 782 Trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.9 billion barrels of oil. This is significantly more than previous estimates. Whether or not these technically recoverable reserves can be economically produced will depend on other factors such as price, but the results are nevertheless encouraging. In fact, some participants in the study opined that as more wells are drilled, the limits of the structure might be expanded further.
Interestingly, the study found that the most productive area of the Utica is technically neither “Utica” nor shale. Actually it is the Point Pleasant limestone which lies beneath the Utica per se.
As a result of the study, petrophysical models will likely be revised and production techniques fine-tuned to enhance recoverability.
The study was the result of collaboration between academia, government and industry. Energy companies which participated in the effort include Anadarko, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, Enevest, EOG, EQT, Hess, NETL, Seneca Resources, Shell, Southwest Energy and Tracker Resources.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?hpf=1&a_id=139667&utm_source=DailyNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2015-07-16&utm_content=read&utm_campaign=feature_1 .
