The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently released the data for natural gas production in the first quarter of 2016. Once again the numbers don’t disappoint: they show an 80 percent increase in the amount of gas produced in 2016 compared with the first quarter of 2015. There were 1,302 wells reporting production this quarter.

That’s also a nine percent increase in the amount of gas that was produced in the final quarter of 2015, which also saw an 80 percent increase over the previous year. Looking back on last quarter compared with the latest production results shows that Rice Drilling’s Mohawk Warrior 12H, 8H and 10H in Belmont County continue to hold the top three producing well spots for the state.

Here’s a breakdown of the top ten producing wells for this quarter:

As is evident by the top producing wells, Belmont County has continued to be the top producing county in the state, followed by Monroe, which also had one of the top 10 producing wells. Here are the individual county breakdowns:

The data also show the top producing shale gas operators in the state. Interestingly, although Rice Drilling had seven of the top 10 producing wells in the state, Chesapeake Exploration actually had the most production overall. Here’s the breakdown by operator for first quarter 2016:

This news comes on the heels of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) issuing new maps for the Utica Shale – which could increase the play even more! 2016 is already shaping up to be another record-breaking year for Utica Shale development in the Buckeye State, as new wells come online and these wells continue to produce at the rate they have been. Between this increased production and anticipated new infrastructure, Ohio is going to continue to be a major player in meeting the nation’s energy needs. And that’s great news for Ohioans!