Gas Producers Increasingly Dominating in New Shale Top Operators List

Seven of the top 10 privately held shale producers in the country are primarily focused on natural gas, demonstrating the increasing dominance of gas players in the world of private operators.

As more private oil producers are gobbled up by giant publics, such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the gas players are moving up the ranks of the top operators, according to the list of the top 100 private producers compiled by Enverus in an exclusive partnership with Oil and Gas Investor (OGI). 

Aethon Energy and Ascent Resources are neck-and-neck as the top privately held natural gas producers in the U.S. They lead both the alphabet and the gas world as the top private producers in their respective basins.

Haynesville Shale-focused Aethon leads the way at 2.52 Bcf/d followed closely by Utica Shale-centric Ascent at 2.43 Bcf/d.

Continental Resources, which dominates the private production list overall thanks to its heavy crude volumes, still ranks third in natural gas at 2.12 Bcf/d.

Then comes Jeffery Hildebrand’s Hilcorp Energy at 1.55 Bcf/d. Rounding out the top five is Tokyo Gas’ TG Natural Resources, which recently grew in the Haynesville through the acquisition of Rockcliff Energy.

Other top players include the Utica’s Encino Energy, which also cracked the top 20 for crude oil; the Delaware Basin’s Mewbourne Oil, which produces lots of associated gas; Trinity Operating, which operates in the Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Midcontinent; Barnett Shale leader BKV Corp.; and the Eagle Ford’s Lewis Energy Group, which rounds out the top 10.

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