Upper Devonian Shale Gains Attention
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that some southwestern Pennsylvania energy companies have begun to research the Upper Devonian formation and its interplay with other formations, including the Marcellus. The Upper Devonian formation is a group of shales that lie a few hundred feet above the Marcellus. The companies are beginning to determine: (i) well profiles and production totals from Upper Devonian wells; (ii) the impact of developing the Upper Devonian formation prior to developing the Marcellus; and (iii) the ability to reuse well pads and access roads that were originally drilled for Marcellus. EQT Corporation has been monitoring four Upper Devonian wells for several years and CONSOL Energy Inc. has drilled one well to the Burkett, the closest Upper Devonian shale to the Marcellus.