Chesapeake Energy Corporation provides a comprehensive update on its operational activities. For the 2009 second quarter, daily production averaged 2.453 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (bcfe), an increase of 86 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (mmcfe), or 4%, over the 2.367 bcfe produced per day in the 2009 first quarter and an increase of 125 mmcfe, or 5%, over the 2.328 bcfe produced per day in the 2008 second quarter. Adjusted for the company’s voluntary production curtailments due to low natural gas and oil prices (which averaged approximately 74 mmcfe per day during the 2009 second quarter), the company’s three 2008 volumetric production payment sales (which averaged approximately 139 mmcfe per day during the 2009 second quarter) and the estimated impact from the company’s 2008 sales of Woodford Shale and Fayetteville Shale properties (which would have averaged approximately 81 mmcfe per day during the 2009 second quarter), Chesapeake’s sequential and year-over-year production growth rates would have been 4% and 16%, respectively, after making similar adjustments to prior quarters. The company is not currently curtailing production, but may do so again later this summer or fall as market conditions dictate. The company also expects that rising pipeline and gathering system pressures during the next few months will likely result in involuntary natural gas production curtailments across the industry.

Chesapeake’s average daily production for the 2009 second quarter consisted of 2.245 billion cubic feet of natural gas (bcf) and 34,637 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids (bbls). The company’s 2009 second quarter production of 223.2 bcfe was comprised of 204.3 bcf (92% on a natural gas equivalent basis) and 3.152 million barrels of oil and natural gas liquids (mmbbls) (8% on a natural gas equivalent basis).

Company Increases Proved Natural Gas and Oil Reserves by 0.7 Tcfe to 12.5 Tcfe, Anticipates Reporting 2009 Second Quarter Drilling and Net Acquisition Costs of Less Than $1.00 per Mcfe; Company Record Set for Organic Reserve Additions and Reserve Replacement Over a Six-Month Period; Year-End Proved Reserve Targets for 2009 and 2010 Reaffirmed at 14 and 16 Tcfe, Respectively

Chesapeake began the 2009 second quarter with estimated proved reserves of 11.851 trillion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (tcfe) and ended the 2009 second quarter with 12.525 tcfe, an increase of 674 bcfe, or 5.7%. During the 2009 second quarter, Chesapeake replaced 223 bcfe of production with an estimated 897 bcfe of new proved reserves for a reserve replacement rate of 402%. The quarter’s reserve movement includes 493 bcfe of extensions, 343 bcfe of positive performance revisions, 156 bcfe of positive revisions resulting from natural gas and oil price increases between March 31, 2009 and June 30, 2009 and 95 bcfe of net divestitures.

During the 2009 first half, Chesapeake increased its estimated proved reserves by 474 bcfe, or 3.9%, from 12.051 tcfe at year-end 2008. For the 2009 first half, Chesapeake replaced 436 bcfe of production with an estimated 910 bcfe of new proved reserves for a reserve replacement rate of 209%. The reserve movement in the 2009 first half includes 920 bcfe of extensions, 740 bcfe of positive performance revisions, 664 bcfe of downward revisions resulting from natural gas and oil price decreases between December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2009 and 86 bcfe of net divestitures. Chesapeake’s 1,660 bcfe of extensions and performance revisions in the 2009 first half set a company record for the highest level of organic reserve additions over a six-month period and its organic reserve replacement rate of 381% for the six-month period was also the highest in the company’s history.

Tags: Chesapeake Energy Corporation