Statoil has sold their interest in leases in Wetzel, Tyler, and Harrison counties to EQT.  EQT is one of the few companies that is making money right now, and is increasing its footprint in the Marcellus/Utica sweet spot.  It’s a good move by EQT.

Anyone who had a lease with Statoil in those counties could expect to be dealing with EQT in the future.

As a heads up, EQT’s standard agreement allows EQT to deduct post-production costs from the royalties they pay, so they may try to get away with deducting post-production costs from any leases Statoil may have signed that do not allow for the deduction of post-production costs.  If you find yourself wondering why your royalty check is suddenly much smaller, check the deductions column.