OUTLOOK 2007: PRODUCING GAS WELLS
US gas well expansion accelerates
The number of gas wells reported in this year’s survey grew nearly 4% compared with last year’s 0.8% increase, demonstrating accelerated drilling across the US. The 2006 total of 413,174 producing gas wells was an increase of 14,999 wells over 2005’s count of 398,175 gas wells. The largest percentage gains came from four states: Mississippi, Oregon, Virginia and Utah. Each of these states grew its gas well total by more than 12%. Texas, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and New Mexico had the most new wells.Texas maintained the No. 1 spot with 76,348 total gas producers, adding 2,859 gas wells. Districts 1 and 9 raised their totals more than 25%, but District 9 added the most with 1,775 new producers. Modest gains and losses characterized the rest of the districts. Following District 9, the largest gains were in District 7C with 900 new wells and District 6 with 608 additional wells. The largest losses occurred in District 7B, down 538 wells, and in District 5, which dropped 278 producers.
Pennsylvania holds second place with more than 49,000 total gas wells. Operators in the state drilled the second-highest number of new gas wells, expanding the count by 2,426 wells, a 5% gain.
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West Virginia now has the third-largest number of gas wells, increasing its total over 3% to more than 44,300 total producers. Oklahoma remained in No. 4 position with 37,735 producing gas wells. This was a 3% gain over last year’s 36,526 count.
Coal bed methane (CBM) plays dominate in several states, notably Wyoming and New Mexico. Wyoming, with its strong CBM program in the Powder River basin, drilled 1,970 new gas producers, raising its total 8.5% to 44,324 gas wells. Operators in the state drilled 2,700 CBM wells in 2006 and now produce from more than 16,000 CBM wells.
New Mexico enjoyed a 6.6% pickup due to its active CBM program in the San Juan and Raton basins. The state added almost 1,600 new wells for a 25,550 gas well total. More than 5,000 of those wells produce CBM.
Among other western states, Colorado’s gas well total dropped 5.5%. The state lost 1,171 wells to end the year with 19,993 producers. CBM wells totaled 600 in 2006.
In central Utah, CBM development continues in the Ferron Coal trend on the western flank of the San Rafael Swell. The state added 571 wells, raising its total to more than 5,000 producers, more than 800 of which are CBM wells.
In the central US, Kansas gained 1,100 gas wells in 2005, a 5.4% increase. The state now operates 21,362 wells. CBM activity continues in the Cherokee basin, Bourbon Arch and Forest City basin.
| Estimated US wells producing gas at the end of 2006 |
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There is also minor CBM activity in Ohio. Ohio maintained its fifth-place rank with 34,335 total gas wells, up almost 2% from last year’s 33,756 well count. The state added 579 new wells in 2006, replacing the 564 wells it lost in 2005.
In the eastern US, West Virginia and Pennsylvania carry the CBM flag with 461 and 480 CBM producers. 
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