Marcellus region hits gas production milestone

Natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale region exceed 15 billion cubic feet per day in July for the first time, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Tuesday.

The Marcellus, mostly located in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, is now the most productive shale gas region in the country, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the United States’ shale gas.

{mosads}Drillers in the Marcellus region have kept about 100 rigs in operation throughout the last 10 months, the EIA said.

But since rig productivity is improving, the EIA expects continued growth in production, even if the rig count stays the same.

The EIA also predicted that new wells in the Marcellus in August will produce 600 million cubic feet per day, which would more than offset the productivity losses of existing wells.