Pennsylvania Update
We want to take this opportunity to update you, the elected officials and stakeholders of northeast Pennsylvania, about our operations, our activities in the community and how we are continuing to be a responsible community partner.
November 2023
Operational and Financial Update
On Nov. 1, Chesapeake reported its 2023 third quarter financial and operating results. To learn more, see our news release, presentation and earnings highlights.
Business Unit Snapshot (3Q23):
Adjusted EBITDAX(1)
$580mm
Capital
$357mm
low end of quarter guide
Cash balance
>$700mm
as of 9/30/23
Base dividend
$0.575
per share per quarter; to shareholders of record on 11/16/23
Stock buybacks
~$130mm
Cash returned to shareholders
~$725mm
via dividends and buybacks YTD
Production
~3.5 bcfe/d
high end of quarter guide
Marcellus:
1,367′
per day average – fastest drilling in history
Haynesville:
15%
reduction in interrupted volume due to midstream downtime
Credit rating upgraded to
Positive
outlook from S&P
Net debt-to-cap(1)
~11%
Net debt / TTM EBITDAX(1)
~0.4x
Additional LNG HOA with Vitol
up to 1 mtpa
linked to JKM
Joined
OGMP 2.0
in October 2023
(1) A non-GAAP measure as defined on our website.
Marcellus Operations:
- Currently operating four drilling rigs.
- Currently have two frac crews operating.
- Continued to set operational records, drilling the longest lateral well in company history.
Longest Lateral Well Record
The Precision 569 rig team set another company record in the Marcellus by drilling the longest lateral well. They safely achieved this at a fast pace. The same team also set a company record for the fastest well in the Marcellus earlier this year.
Employee Spotlight
Get to Know Marcellus Operations Manager Josh Lawrence
Josh Lawrence is Chesapeake’s manager of operations in the Marcellus and has been with the company for 13 years. In his role as operations manager, Josh leads a multi-disciplinary team of about 100 people who are responsible for the wellsite, facility construction and daily operations of the wells.
His team is responsible for safely operating more than 1,400 wells in Pennsylvania with enough natural gas production to power 9 million homes per day. This equates to approximately 4.5 billion cubic feet per day, which is 4.5% of the nation’s total natural gas production on a gross basis.
Josh also engages with public officials and trade organizations to continuously advocate for the oil and gas industry. He oversees all Chesapeake’s northeast field operations, which also include assets in New York, Maryland and West Virginia.
With his wide range of responsibilities, Josh said he most enjoys the company’s focus on innovation and the opportunities available for finding new ways of drilling, completing and producing natural gas.
“It’s great to be a part of something that is so impactful not only to the people of Pennsylvania, but also to help fulfill the energy needs of people across the country and abroad,” he said. “On top of that, I am proud that Chesapeake’s natural gas is developed with the safest and environmentally responsible processes and is recognized as responsibly sourced gas under very rigorous standards.” Josh and his family live in Columbia Cross Roads, Pennsylvania. He enjoys hunting, fishing and attending his children’s sporting events in his spare time.
Strengthening Partnerships
Continuing Chesapeake’s commitment to be a good neighbor and build stronger relationships, the company hosted its annual stakeholder luncheon to meet with members of the community in the Marcellus.
The event brought in more than 50 attendees, including royalty owners, community leaders, elected officials and state agency representatives.
CEO Nick Dell’Osso and operations leaders provided a company overview and shared more about the state of the industry as well as the investment we are making in the local community.
“Engaging in frequent, open and transparent communications with our external stakeholders is critical to the strength of our partnerships with those who live and work in the communities that we operate in. Building connections with them through these engagement opportunities makes them feel heard and is valuable to our business,” said Marcellus Land Manger Julie Woodard.
Attendees took the opportunity to ask questions and talk about what’s on their minds, which included anticipated company activity and the status of proposed infrastructure projects in the Northeast to aid in providing additional takeaway capacity to other markets.
During the meeting, Pennsylvania State Representative Tina Pickett acknowledged the progress Chesapeake is making to improve communication with royalty owners. She also recognized the positive impact we’re making on the community through the jobs we provide.
In The Community
Chesapeake’s Marcellus team continues to be busy supporting the local community as we strive to strengthen the communities in which we operate. Our H.E.L.P. (Help Energize Local Progress) Initiative provides our employees the opportunity to volunteer their time helping countless worthwhile non-profit organizations. Over the third quarter, employees volunteered 414 hours for various organizations in the community! Below are some community highlights from the last few months.
Spirit of Giving for United Way
We continued our tradition of supporting United Way in September. The Sayre field office held its United Way Campaign with a chili cook-off, a cornhole tournament and raffles, raising $3,774 from these events alone. In total, Chesapeake contributed $8,704 to United Way of Bradford County.
Volunteer Partnership with the PA Game Commission
Chesapeake’s Marcellus team recently partnered with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to reclaim a local construction materials excavation site.
Over the three-day event, 32 Chesapeake employees volunteered 130 hours planting shrubs and trees, installing tree protection fencing and distributing over two acres of seeding and mulch. The project served as a great opportunity for the two organizations, which both share a commitment to environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation.
Supporting Local Fairs
Several employees assisted in getting the grounds ready for fairs in Sullivan County and Wyoming County, both held in late August through early September. Additionally, employees worked the milkshake booth at the Troy Fair in July.
Helping Abandoned Animals
This was our team’s first time to volunteer at Luke’s Hidden Haven, a sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals. From left, employees Jacob Gay, Cody Wheeler, Scott Wilkes, Corey Smith Dustin Wiles and Jerry Ogden walked and socialized with the dogs and helped repair a fence.
Festival Fun
From left, Randy Ferris, Josh Sentyz, Erick Warburton, Lucas Welch, Dalton Donnelly, Jerry Ogden, Tom Vitella and Joe Chamberlain set up large tents to help the Troy Heritage and Farm Museum get ready for its festival.
ESG Update
Continued Progress in Environmental Performance
Chesapeake continues to make progress in its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and increase reporting transparency while complying with all applicable laws and regulations. Below are two recent examples of our commitment to sustainability:
- Achieved recertification of our natural gas production across the entirety of our Marcellus operations:The company also received a grade A under the MiQ methane emissions standard and a grade A- from Equitable Origin’s EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development, which focuses on ESG performance.
- The MiQ certification provides a verified approach by a third party to track Chesapeake’s commitment to reduce methane intensity across its natural gas assets and supports the company’s net zero GHG emissions goal by 2035. We were the first producer to achieve MiQ and EO100™ certification across two major basins in 2022.
- Joined the OGMP 2.0 Partnership: OGMP 2.0 is a multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting. OGMP provides a framework for building a measurement-based emissions inventory to create a comprehensive emissions profile to ensure we are making the biggest impact in our emissions reduction efforts.
- Chesapeake joined OGMP to advance its commitment to enhanced detection and mitigation of methane emissions within an internationally recognized framework.
For more information on our sustainability efforts, visit chk.com/sustainability, and stay up to date on Chesapeake employees’ related activities on chk.com/category/esg-news/.
Questions/Contact Information
Our team in Sayre is speaking with landowners every day as we prepare for future development. If you have questions, please reach out to any of the following on our team.
Seth Caputo
Senior Staff Landman
570-419-5381
Seth.Caputo@chk.com
Shannon Brooks
Landman
607-731-9763
Shannon.Brooks@chk.com
Matt Sheppard
Government & Regulatory Affairs
Matt.Sheppard@chk.com
Royalty Owner Questions
Contact Owner Relations
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday
877-245-1427
contact@chk.com