The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) this week released shale production data for the first quarter of 2018, showing a nearly 43 percent increase in natural gas production in the beginning of 2018 over the same time last year.

In the first quarter of 2018, Ohio produced 531.3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas and 3.9 million barrels of oil.

Natural gas production was also up 5.6 percent in the beginning of 2018 compared to the 503.1 Bcf produced in the last quarter of 2017.  According to the ODNR, Ohio’s 1,909 producing wells:

• Produced 2,066 barrels of oil on average.
• Produced 278,454 Mcf of natural gas on average.
• Were in production an average of 86 days during the quarter.

The top natural gas producing counties in the state were Monroe, Jefferson and Belmont, while Guernsey and Harrison counties were home to Ohio’s top producing oil wells. Eclipse Resources had both the highest producing natural gas well and highest producing oil well in the state.

With production growth numbers like this, it’s no surprise why the U.S. Energy Information Administration continues to report that shale development in the Appalachian Basin is driving natural gas growth across the country. The best part: This is only the beginning of the Buckeye State’s game-changing shale story.