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Permalink Reply by Kyle Nuttall on February 22, 2016 at 2:36pm

I've spent more than a few hours prepping to help people, and teaching my office staff how to help people.  If you hire the right attorney you're paying for years of study and experience, and even some good connections and relationships in the industry.  I agree, though, that to get a good lease in place shouldn't cost 30%, and that 1/8 is way out of date.

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Permalink Reply by Kyle Nuttall on February 22, 2016 at 2:41pm

That, and the Rogersville shale seem to be the next big thing once prices recover.  I think we're going to have to see pretty high prices, probably over $5/MCF (wild guess, really) before they become economically viable.  It's nice to know that when the Marcellus and the Utica have run their courses, there will be other formations to explore.  It just might be quite a ways down the road in West Virginia.

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Permalink Reply by David Allen Lilly on February 23, 2016 at 3:59am

Here in eastern Guernsey county Ohio we had a second round of seismographic testing done last year, after many wells had been drilled in the area.

I wondered why and when I asked the people at my front door why they were so eager to sign me up and what they were looking for they clammed up and left.

I had a long conversation with a man in the oil and gas industry fro many years and he confirmed my suspicions that they were looking for other formations to drill, ostensibly from the same Utica pads as is done in other places where multiple formations are drilled from the same pad.

I think it will be a matter of technology that allows extraction from those depths and prices which support the cost of drilling and producing these formations that are as yet untapped.

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Permalink Reply by David Soloninka on February 23, 2016 at 5:03am

I saw an engineer report indicating permits for the Dietrich A Pad in Monroe County Switzer/Salem Twp. I contained one permit for the "Trenton" and the rest Utica-Point Pleasant. Has anyone heard or read anything about the Trenton? Is it lucrative?
Thanx
D

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Permalink Reply by Bob on February 23, 2016 at 12:05pm

When they drilled the Sawyer wells the first hole went down to the Trenton at 9200 feet.  I was told that is was to test the Trenton but when I asked about any test results they said going down to the Trenton was just to check at what depth the Utica stopped so they would know where to keep the drill in the Utica.  Also the Sawyer 2H was never drilled, just the 4=6=8H.

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Permalink Reply by Dee on February 23, 2016 at 4:17pm

Our Brush Creek, Jefferson County Ohio minerals were first leased in the late 90s by Beldon & Blake and the target was to be the Trenton Black River. Towards the end of the lease Fortuna picked up the lease and extended it (same target). They have several Trenton Black River wells in NY State. They never drilled and as the lease was expiring we were leased for the Utica. The info that I was given way back then is that that the gas is there, it just cost a lot to get to it. I have no idea of how much it would cost these days, but I don't think there is much chance of it getting drilled any time soon if the costs are not lower than the Utica SE dry gas. The reason I was given that it was not drilled is that several wells in Carroll County did not have enough oil.

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Permalink Reply by David Soloninka on March 3, 2016 at 5:26pm

Yes the Dietrich A Pad in Monroe Co (Switzer/Salem) Twp has well going into the Trenton.   I believe it was a test well and was plugged.  I don't know the findings.  Does anyone know what was found?

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Permalink Reply by bo boboski on March 3, 2016 at 11:22pm

I've heard or read before about wells that were drilled to the Trenton,then plugged back to the Utica so the drill bit would turn at that point and go horizontal thru the Utica shale. Actually this may have been done more than we know.

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Permalink Reply by KAR on March 4, 2016 at 12:38am

It's fairly common. It's called drilling a pilot hole in PA or stratigraphic test in Ohio. They're exactly the same. It's just that in Ohio you get a separate permit. Basically an operator drills a pilot hole to log geologic information. They send a tool downhole that tests a wide range of the rock properties. The tool can be pretty long so in order to log the entire Utica/Point Pleasant formation they need to drill into the Trenton formation. Then the operator plugs back and the kicks off to drill the horizontal portion of the well. Since it's extra costs no operator drills extra hole without a reason. They don't solely drill pilot holes to make the bit turn, it's actually harder to get a bit to turn when drilling through cement than rock.

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