Anadarko shale basin lands Oklahoma on EIA map

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- With more than 10 percent of the new wells drilled in U.S. shale basins, Oklahoma has earned a place in new monthly data reporting, the government said.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said it was adding the Anadarko region to its monthly drilling report. The shale basin covers 24 counties in Oklahoma and five in Texas.

"The Anadarko region accounts for approximately 450,000 barrels per day of oil production, 5.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas production, 13 percent of new wells drilled, and 13 percent of drilled but uncompleted wells as of July 2017," EIA reported.

Oklahoma is home to about 4 percent of the total petroleum reserves in the country and accounts for as much as 5 percent of the total crude oil production in the United States. The EIA said the Anadarko basin is a legacy producer that's seen an uptick in activity from the STACK and SCOOP reservoirs within the broader shale area.

BNK Petroleum Inc., which has headquarters in California, announced Monday it completed the hydraulic fracturing process at a well in the SCOOP basin and is anticipating a "highly productive well."

Shale work in Oklahoma is under close monitoring because of a new fault located in the region by the U.S. Geological Survey. At least eight earthquakes were recorded Aug. 3 in the state, the largest of which was a magnitude-4.2 event.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has ordered oil and gas operators to cut back on disposal well operations and closed some wells in response to increased seismic activity in certain areas. The seismic events are not related to hydraulic fracturing in and of itself.

EIA estimates August oil production from the Anadarko shale at 447,000 barrels per day and output should increase about 2.5 percent in September. Gas production should average 5.9 million cubic feet for August and increase 1.3 percent next month.

On natural gas in particular, EIA said it was consolidating data from the Marcellus and Utica shale basins that cover states from Ohio to New York.

"As drilling activity and production in the Appalachia region have increased in recent years, the overlapping formations make it difficult to attribute production to the proper formation," it said.