Anyone who has heard about Ohio’s Utica Shale, has heard of Chesapeake Energy.  The Oklahoma-based company started developing the Utica in December of 2010, marking last month its two-year anniversary in Ohio.  Since coming to the Buckeye State, Chesapeake has spent $3.3 billion in capital expenditures and has acquired an industry leading 1.3 million acres.

The company is currently operating 13 rigs in Ohio and have explored a total of 134 Utica wells.  At the end of September 2012, Chesapeake operated 32 producing wells, had 37 waiting on pipeline and 65 in various stages of complete.  Their investment and involvement in the play has translated to an incredible amount of jobs and community improvements for Ohio.

In January of 2011, Chesapeake employed 40 people in Ohio.  The company now employs 550 people who live in the state of Ohio and pay an annual salary for those employees totaling more than $32 million.

Chesapeake also helps the communities surrounding their production and where their own employees reside.  They’ve spent more than $58 million on road improvement projects in Ohio.  Many areas in eastern Ohio that had dirt roads now have two-lane paved roads.  As far as philanthropy, Chesapeake has donated nearly $1 million to organizations throughout the area.  Through their Operation Blue program, Chesapeake employees have volunteered more than 800 hours of their time for community projects.  In July, the company even helped out with storm relief in Guernsey County. Ohio can also look forward to seeing a pink Nomac rig this year at a Chesapeake site, meant to raise awareness for breast cancer research.

In the past year, Energy in Depth has covered much of Chesapeake’s good news and involvement in the state.  From talking to landowners to reporting production results, we’ve been glad to be a part of a Utica Shale success story.  Tuscarawas County native and Chesapeake’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Keith Fuller, shares our excitement:

Having grown up in this part of Ohio, it is exciting to see so many locals benefit from the increased jobs, investment and personal wealth associated with Utica Shale development.  And we, at Chesapeake, look forward to further expanding the benefits of this economic opportunity—Keith Fuller

We look forward to reporting more good news from Chesapeake over the next year as they plan to develop 200 more wells.  Along with other companies involved in the Utica Shale play, they will continue to bring jobs, revenue, and local benefits to communities across eastern Ohio.

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