The Utica: 2012 --

From Ohio's Department of Natural Resources (like the NDIC):

Production reports were submitted for 85 wells in 2012. Of these, 63 were commercial producing wells, 19 were tested and shut-in and 3 were dry and abandoned.

It was interesting to see how Ohio presented that data. On their front page, no data. One had to download the Excel spreadsheet. The amount of oil produced by Ohio in 2012: about 636,000 bbls.

North Dakota does that about every three weeks.

Yes, I know, the Utica is starting out as a natural gas play but bills itself as a promising natural gas play AND crude oil play.

The Utica, natural gas: 13 billion cubic feet in 2012. 13 billion/365 = 35 million cubic feet/day.

For all the ink used to write about the Utica, the data coming out of the Utica is downright unimpressive. 

Eighty-five (85) wells were producing oil and/or gas in Ohio in 2012. North Dakota drills that many wells in a week. Okay, maybe two weeks. Maybe 5/day x 14 days = 70 wells. (In the last Director's Cut, the director said 140 wells were completed in March, 2013, most recent data.  That was down from 30 the month before.

So, let's see what else folks said about the Utica in the past month or so. This should be fun:

• Analyst says Ohio data may not be particularly useful (posted before the data was released).
• ODNR itself says Utica shale is putting up big production numbers. Okay.

A typical vertical well in Ohio annually produces about 50,000 cubic feet of gas a day and less than one 42-gallon barrel of oil.

North Dakota, an oil play: 850 million cubic feet/natural gas/month = 28 million cubic feet/day.

Unless I missed it, the report did not include the amount of natural gas flared. 

Disclaimer: don't trust the math. I often make mistakes with basic arithmetic.