RANGE RES CORP : Range Provides Operations Update
02/23/2011| 06:05am US/Eastern

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RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) today provided an
operations update. As announced previously, fourth quarter production
volumes averaged 541.0 Mmcfe net per day, an 18% increase over the
prior-year period and 8% higher than third quarter 2010. The record
production marked the Company's 32nd consecutive quarter of sequential
production growth. Production was 76% natural gas, 18% natural gas
liquids (NGLs) and 6% crude oil. Targeted drilling to the liquids-rich
portion of the Marcellus Shale play in Pennsylvania, as well as the
Midcontinent and Permian Basin regions drove the production growth.
Fourth quarter 2010 production was 24% NGLs and crude oil versus 18% for
fourth quarter of 2009. For the year, production increased 14%, despite
property sales. Excluding the property sales, production would have
grown 19%.
Fourth quarter drilling expenditures of $253 million funded the drilling
of 90 (64 net) wells and 7 (7 net) recompletions. A 95% success rate was
achieved. For the full-year, 237 (167 net) wells were successfully
drilled and are now on production, while 111 (81 net) wells are
currently in various stages of completion or waiting on pipeline
connection. For the year, capital expenditures totaled just under $1.1
billion or $100 million less than budgeted.
Commenting on the announcement, John Pinkerton, Range's Chairman and
CEO, said, ?We ended 2010 on a very strong note, having completed the
best drilling program in our history. Our 840% drill-bit reserve
replacement and $0.71 all-in finding and development cost far exceeded
expectations, reaching all-time records. This was accomplished even
though we under spent our capital budget by approximately $100 million.
2011 greeted us with some of the toughest winter weather we have seen in
many years. While Range and the industry experienced significant
shut-ins due to freezing weather, our operating teams are continuing to
execute by bringing on some spectacular new wells in 2011. The well
results reflect the quality of our drilling inventory and the quality of
our technical team. We are well-positioned to continue our streak of
double digit per share production and reserve growth with one of the
industry's lowest cost structures.?
Marcellus Shale
Range's Marcellus production for December 2010 averaged more than 200
Mmcfe per day net. Approximately 71% of the production was natural gas
and 29% was NGLs and condensate. During the fourth quarter, the
Marcellus division brought online 11 horizontal wells in southwestern
Pennsylvania, nine of which were located in the liquids-rich wet area of
the play. Based on initial production results, we expect the average
estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of these 11 wells to exceed our
average reserve estimate of 5.0 Bcfe per well for the southwestern
portion of Pennsylvania. At the end of the year, Range had drilled 52
horizontal wells that were waiting on completion and 15 wells waiting on
pipeline connection.
Last week, Range brought on approximately 70 Mmcfe per day net of new
production that, at year-end, was waiting on completion and/or pipeline
connection. This included three wells in the liquid-rich area of the
southwest with a collective initial production of 26.1 (22 net) Mmcf per
day of natural gas and 1,373 (1,167 net) barrels of NGLs and condensate
per day or 29 Mmcfe per day net. In the southwest area, Range curtailed
some of its lower Btu gas to commence production from these wells in the
more liquid-rich area. The curtailed production will be brought back on
as we continue to build out the pipeline system in 2011. The initial
phase of our Lycoming County gathering system came online February 16th.
Current production from that area is 45 (39 net) Mmcf per day as we have
five wells now on production, averaging 9.0 (7.9 net) Mmcf per day per
well. Range plans to bring online 20 additional wells in Lycoming County
by the end of the third quarter.
Earlier this month, Range completed a significant Marcellus step-out
well in the southwest, which tested at 18.6 Mmcfe per day on a five-day
test. Current production in the Marcellus is approximately 260 Mmcfe per
day net, from both the southwest and northeast areas. Given excellent
drilling results and the exceptional work of our technical team, Range
is well on schedule to achieve its Marcellus Shale year-end 2011
production exit rate target of 400 Mmcfe per day net.
Providing additional resource potential from our current acreage
position in this region is a variety of shale formations that lie above
the Marcellus formation, known as the Upper Devonian shales. We believe
that a majority of our acreage in the southwest portion of the play is
prospective for the Upper Devonian shales. Earlier this month, Range
announced that it believes that the Upper Devonian Shale formation on
its existing acreage contains an unrisked resource potential of 10 to 14
Tcfe. Range also announced the seven-day initial production rate for the
first Utica Shale horizontal completion in the basin to be 4.4 Mmcf per
day. The Utica Shale formation lies below the Marcellus Shale formation.
Appalachian Division
During the fourth quarter 2010, Range's Appalachian division drilled a
total of 51 (26 net) wells, continuing its successful development of
tight gas sand, coal bed methane and horizontal drilling projects in
Virginia. The division averaged four rigs running during the quarter and
drilled 11 (6 net) vertical tight gas sand wells, 26 (12 net) coal bed
methane wells and 8 (3 net) horizontal wells in Nora. In addition, on
the recently acquired Nora extension property, the division drilled
5 (5 net) tight gas sand wells and 1 (1 net) horizontal Huron Shale
well. The horizontal Huron Shale well was a significant step-out well
drilled almost 25 miles from the prior Nora field horizontal wells.
Since this area has only been sparsely drilled, reserves here are virgin
pressured with no depletion from prior drilling. The step-out well
tested at 2.6 Mmcf per day which is materially higher than the typical
Nora horizontal well. Also in the quarter, Range performed five
recompletions of behind-pipe pays on wells in the Nora extension area
with positive results. Based on this success, 30 additional wells are
planned for recompletion in 2011.
Midcontinent Division
The Midcontinent division continued development of liquids-rich plays in
the fourth quarter of 2010. Two additional horizontal Mississippian Lime
wells were completed for a combined average daily rate of 807 barrels of
oil, 298 barrels of NGL's and 1.3 Mmcf or 1,314 (1,035 net) Boe per day
at depths of 5,000 feet. In the Ardmore Basin horizontal Woodford play
we added three wells, which are currently in the completion phase and
are expected to commence sales next month. One operated rig will remain
active throughout the year, while non-operated activity is expected to
add 1 to 2 additional rigs to the area. Non-operated activity will also
drive Range's participation in the Woodford ?Cana? Shale play of the
Anadarko Basin where we control approximately 80,000 (42,000) net legacy
acres that are all held by production. For its first Cana Shale well,
Range has joined for a 10% working interest, in a Devon Energy operated
well in Blaine County, Oklahoma. The well has been drilled to total
depth and completion operations have commenced. Horizontal drilling
activity in the Texas Panhandle has also achieved another milestone. In
the fourth quarter, Range completed the industry's first successful
horizontal St. Louis Lime well which tested at rates of 360 barrels of
oil, 543 barrels of NGL's and 13.8 Mmcf or 19.2 (5.8 net) Mmcfe per day
net.
RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) is an independent natural
gas company operating in the Southwestern and Appalachian regions of the
United States.
Except for historical information, statements made in this release,
including those relating to anticipated production, capital
expenditures, anticipated cost reductions, anticipated rates of returns,
the number of wells to be drilled, reserve potential, anticipated asset
sales, reserve growth and anticipated financial results are
forward-looking statements as defined by the Securities and Exchange
Commission. These statements are based on assumptions and
estimates that management believes are reasonable based on currently
available information; however, management's assumptions and the
Company's future performance are subject to a wide range of business
risks and uncertainties and there is no assurance that these goals and
projections can or will be met. Any number of factors could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements, including, but not limited to, the volatility of oil and gas
prices, the costs and results of drilling and operations, the timing of
production, mechanical and other inherent risks associated with oil and
gas production, weather, the availability of drilling equipment, changes
in interest rates, litigation, uncertainties about reserve estimates,
and environmental risks. The Company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Further
information on risks and uncertainties is available in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are
incorporated by reference.
The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in filings made with the SEC,
to disclose proved reserves, which are estimates that geological and
engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable
in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and
operating conditions. Beginning with year-end reserves for 2009, the SEC
permits the optional disclosure of probable and possible reserves. Range
has elected not to disclose the Company's probable and possible reserves
in its filings with the SEC. Range uses certain broader terms
such as "resource potential," or "unproved resource potential" or
"upside" or other descriptions of volumes of resources potentially
recoverable through additional drilling or recovery techniques that may
include probable and possible reserves as defined by the SEC's
guidelines. Range has not attempted to distinguish probable and
possible reserves from these broader classifications. The SEC's rules
prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC these broader
classifications of reserves. These estimates are by their nature
more speculative than estimates of proved, probable and possible
reserves and accordingly are subject to substantially greater risk of
being actually realized. Unproved resource potential refers to
Range's internal estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be
potentially discovered through exploratory drilling or recovered with
additional drilling or recovery techniques and have not been reviewed by
independent engineers. Unproved resource potential does not constitute
reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineer's
Petroleum Resource Management System and does not include proved
reserves. Area wide unproven, unrisked resource potential has not been
fully risked by Range's management. Actual quantities that may be
ultimately recovered from Range's interests will differ substantially.
Factors affecting ultimate recovery include the scope of Range's
drilling program, which will be directly affected by the availability of
capital, drilling and production costs, commodity prices, availability
of drilling services and equipment, drilling results, lease expirations,
transportation constraints, regulatory approvals, field spacing rules,
recoveries of gas in place, length of horizontal laterals, actual
drilling results, including geological and mechanical factors affecting
recovery rates and other factors. Estimates of resource potential may
change significantly as development of our resource plays provides
additional data. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure
in our recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on July 27, 2010 for
the period ending June 30, 2010, available from our website at www.rangeresources.com
or by written request to 100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1200, Fort
Worth, Texas 76102. You can also obtain this Form 10-Q by calling the
SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

Range Resources Corporation
Rodney Waller, Senior Vice President,
817-870-2601
or
David Amend, Investor Relations Manager,
817-870-2601
or
Laith Sando, Sr. Financial Analyst,
817-870-2601
or
Karen Giles, Corporate Communications Manager,
817-870-2601
www.rangeresources.com
© Business Wire 2011
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