BRIDGEPORT Antero Resources, headquartered out of Bridgeport, is among the leaders of West Virginias energy industry.

The company continues to provide a vital service to the state while maintaining its commitment to progress and environmental stewardship, according to Antero officials.

Al Schopp, regional senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Antero Resources, said his company is proud to operate in the Mountain State.

West Virginia sits atop a world-class natural gas resource thats driving the positive shift in Americas energy, economic, environmental and national security outlook, Schopp said. As the nations second-largest natural gas liquids and fifth-largest natural gas producer, Antero and our local employees are proud to safely develop the clean energy that powers modern life. Thanks to advancements in horizontal drilling, Antero is producing energy more efficiently, resulting in cost savings as well as community and environmental benefits.

Antero invested more than $1 billion to produce energy in West Virginia and eastern Ohio last year, delivering a nine-percent increase in production, Schopp said.

Given global market challenges, however, Antero remains focused on capital discipline, rather than production growth, and is putting in place enhanced operational efficiencies and well cost savings in our 2020 and beyond strategy, he said.

Antero Midstreams integrated planning efforts with Antero Resources creates flexibility in delivering the infrastructure to meet a unique set of needs, Schopp said.

Were proud of the companys fresh water pipeline network and a sustainable closed loop system that recycles more than 90% of Anteros water, dramatically reducing fresh water withdraws and eliminating hundreds of thousands of truck trips, he said. This is good for the environment, good for our communities and good for business.

Following the year in which Antero Midstreams jointly operated Sherwood facility became North Americas largest natural gas processing plant, the companys 2020 budget will focus primarily on West Virginia, developing the infrastructure to support Anteros liquids-rich focused program, Schopp said.

We continue to see strong, long-term demand fundamentals, largely driven by U.S. energy exports and increasing domestic and in-basin use. Natural gas consumption topped records last year, with demand expected to grow 13% through 2023, according to federal data, he said. Manufacturing, natural gas power generation and overall pipeline infrastructure expansion in West Virginia and across the region will help support local demand.

Antero directly employs 276 West Virginians and its operations support careers for more than 3,500 workers and contract personnel across the region, Schopp said.

Over the past five years, we have invested over $8 billion in upstream activities, which resulted in $121 million in severance, ad valorem and sales tax revenue for West Virginia last year alone, which greatly benefit families and critical services across our state, he said.

The company is always looking ahead and keeping an eye on the most recent developments relevant to the industry, Schopp said.

Cutting-edge technological advancements continue to drive natural gas development efficiencies, cost savings, as well as heightened environmental and worker safety, he said. Energy producers like Antero, along with the locally based supply chain service providers that we work with, are focused on further raising the operational bar.

The latest advancements in drilling technology recently allowed Antero to reach an important milestone, Schopp said.

Were drilling longer laterals faster than ever. In fact, just recently Antero drilled 10,453 feet of lateral length in a 24-hour period, which may be a new world record, he said. Steerable drilling tools continue to get better and more precise by the day. Its a technology that keeps evolving and responding as laterals get longer.

While drilling longer laterals obviously increases production volume, it also produces numerous other benefits as well, Schopp said.

This is good for business, given the commodity dynamics, and creates important community and environmental benefits, he said. The longer the lateral and shorter the period to drill reduces aboveground land disturbances, along with temporary truck traffic.

The company relies on the latest breakthroughs throughout its operations, not just out at its well sites, Schopp said.

Among other critical technology-enabled advancements, were leveraging well performance data analytics to make decisions more nimbly than ever before, he said. And drone technology keeps improving to optimize facility designs.

Antero sees being an industry leader as part of its overall mission, Schopp said.

As an industry made up of forward-looking engineers and problem-solvers, were continuously focused on solutions that make our work even safer, more protective of our environment and even more cost-effective, he said.

Annually, Antero donates more than $400,000 to local causes and organizations, and its employees regularly volunteer their time in communities across the region, Schopp said.

We actively participate in STEM programs in local schools, volunteer hundreds of hours on park restorations and community clean-up initiatives and are committed to supporting arts and culture in this region for existing families and future generations, he said. Weve invested $234 million since 2010, including $40 million last year, to update and improve West Virginias roads, because safe and dependable infrastructure benefits all of us.

As an active member of industry leading greenhouse gas reduction partnerships, Antero promotes a science-based approach to reducing carbon emissions and improving its environmental performance, Schopp said.

Anteros leak detection and repair program exceeds Ohio and West Virginia standards and we are an industry leader in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he said. Guided by our safety-first culture, Antero employees completed more than 7,000 hours of training in 2018 and continue to outperform industry benchmark averages for safety metrics. Getting everyone home safe each day, and keeping the communities safe where we operate, is our top priority.

In February Antero donated new textbooks and workbooks to Pierpont Community & Technical Colleges Petroleum Technology program.

The donation will help alleviate the cost to students of the needed text material for the classroom in the Petroleum Technology program, officials said.

We are grateful to receive this donation, as it will help to reduce the overall course expenses, said Dr. Johnny Moore, president of Pierpont Community & Technical College. We appreciate the opportunities that Antero provides to our students and community.

The company also donated $20,000 to the United Way of Harrison County, helping the organization get closer to its 2020 campaign goal of $800,000.

Stephanie Iaquinta, Antero Resources executive assistant, government relations, said the company has become very passionate in our support of the United Way over the years. They are able to vet these organizations and determine the most critical needs in Harrison County. They make it easy for us to give back and make sure those needs are being met.

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Antero Resources: pushing progress and leading innovation for WV oil and gas industry - WV News