Shale Gas, Utica Shale and Marcellus Shale are all words that reverberate through Ohio’s media outlets these days. Early Utica Shale production rates suggest that Ohio might have a unique blend of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids unparalleled by any other find in the country and potentially the world. This could reposition Ohio as one of the leaders in the oil and gas industry. Note that the word “reposition” was used. Although many know that the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled in 1860 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, few know that the first oil well was actually drilled in Caldwell, Ohio in 1814 by settlers looking for salt. It is also overlooked that shortly following the successful Titusville oil well, was the Macksburg, Ohio oil well that was drilled in 1860. Ohio quickly grew to the oil capital of the world with the incorporation of the first oil company, Standard Oil in 1870 and The Ohio Oil Company in 1887 (later renamed Marathon). Equally, unpublicized is the fact that the world’s first offshore oil rig drilling began in 1891 in Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Marys.
Much of this near surface oil and gas is now gone and oil producers have moved their headquarters and primary operations to Texas and Louisiana to be close to the findings in the Gulf of Mexico and Texas. As Utica and Marcellus continue to show promise and high production rates, Ohio has a twice in a lifetime opportunity to be a global leader in the energy marketplace. EWI is taking a leadership role in this transition and working to ensure that manufacturers have access to the most competitive, safe and reliable technology for their respective businesses. Some of the technologies that show promise for Ohio’s Shale industry are highlighted in the following EWI Tech Briefs.