SALEM, Ohio — Chesapeake Exploration leads Pennsylvania when it comes to natural gas production from the Marcellus layer.

So far in 2013, Chesapeake has produced 305 million cubic feet, an increase from the last half of 2012 production, which was 250 million cubic feet.

The production results from the first six months of 2013 were discussed in a Penn State webinar Aug. 22.

Cabot Oil

Cabot Oil was second in Pennsylvania when it came to production, producing 183 mcf the first half of this year. In comparison, the company produced 134 mcf compared to the last half of 2012.

Cabot had 15 of the top producing wells in the state of Pennsylvania.

Matt Henderson, a Penn State shale educator, said Cabot appears to have found a sweet spot in Susquehanna County. That is where most of the highest-producing wells were reported during the first six months of 2013.

In third place for overall production was Range Resources, followed by EQT and Anadarko.

Leading counties

Bradford County led the production in the last six months followed by Susquehanna, Lycoming, Greene, Washington and Tioga counties.

Since Marcellus shale production began in 2008, Penn State reported that $1.51 trillion in royalties has been earned, based on a traditional lease where the mineral owners earn 12.5 percent royalties. However, that doesn’t mean it’s been paid out, which could be for a variety of reasons.

Production results

Here are some production results from Marcellus/Utica shale wells in western Pa. counties, according to reports released by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection:

Beaver County: three wells; 761,487 mcf; all over 100 days in production. (All of them were Chesapeake Exploration wells.)

Crawford: two wells (one producing); 20,919 mcf; 103 days in production (Range Resources.)

Lawrence: two wells; 840,171 mcf; both were 180 days in production. (Both were SWEPI wells.)

Allegheny: 22 wells; 8,270,949 mcf; 17 wells were in production 100 days or more. (Three were XTO Energy wells and 19 were Range Resources wells.)

Butler: 108 wells; 14,631,674 mcf; 86 wells were in 100 days of production or more. (RE Gas Development, SWEPI, XTO Energy, William McIntire Coal, Oil andGas Co., XTO Energy Inc., Snyder Brothers, Inc., DL Resources, Inc. and BLX Inc.)

Greene: 452 wells; 154,706,329 mcf; 409 wells were in 100 days or more of production. (Energy Corporation of America, CNX Gas Co., American Oil and Gas Co., Rice Drilling BL, Alpha Shale Reserve L.P., Chevron Appalachia LLC., Vantage Energy Appalachian, Range Resources Appalachian, EQT Production, Chesapeake Appalachia and Atlas Resources, LLC.)

Washington: 591 wells; 115,819,775 mcf; 500 wells were in 100 or more days of production. (CNX Gas Company, Antero Resources, JM Best Inc., Rice Drilling Oil and Gas Company, Chevron Appalachian Oil and Gas Co., Range Resources, EQT Production, Chesapeake Exploration, Atlas Resources.