Chesapeake Energy Corp. outlined its drilling progress in the Utica shale in eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northwestern West Virginia during a May 1 earnings call in which the company stressed that it is shifting its focus from natural gas toward liquids-rich plays.

Petrobank Energy & Resources Ltd. said production from its Kerrobert in situ combustion project in southwestern Saskatchewan increased in March to an average 264 b/d of apparently upgraded bitumen (OGJ Online, Feb. 1, 2012).

French, Canadian, and private US companies are set to launch a $200 million joint venture to develop oil shale in the Uinta basin of Utah.

Suncor Energy has restarted the bitumen upgrader in Fort McMurray, Alta., that it shut down in March for unplanned maintenance (OGJ Online, Mar. 14, 2012).

Nexen Inc. has begun steaming on the 12th pad at its Long Lake oil sands project in the southern Athabasca region of Alberta, which it is developing with steam-assisted gravity drainage integrated with a 60,000 b/d upgrader (OGJ Online, Nov. 28, 2011).

Cenovus Energy Inc. has submitted applications for a thermal development project in the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta that will require dewatering of an aquifer overlying some of the bitumen.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has restored its Marcellus shale production in Susquehanna County, Pa., to predisruption levels following restart of the Lathrop Compressor Station, which was damaged by a Mar. 29 fire (OGJ Online, Apr. 3, 2012).

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has restored some natural gas production following a Mar. 29 fire at the Lathrop compressor station in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale play.

Petrocarabobo SA let a lump-sum contract to Technip for the basic front-end engineering design (FEED) and the first phase of project management consultancy services for a 200,000 b/sd crude oil upgrader to be built in Venezuela’s Faja del Orinoco region.

Beach Energy Ltd., Adelaide, has spudded a well programmed to test Pierre shale on the West Florence prospect in Fremont County, Colo.

More operators are being drawn to explore shales and other formations known to or suspected of holding petroleum liquids in the northern San Joaquin basin in California.

Pegasi Energy Resources Corp., Tyler, Tex., said it has drilled the first horizontal well in Cass County, northeast Texas, to target oil in the Jurassic Bossier formation.

Ultra Petroleum Corp., Houston, whose major assets produce natural gas in the Green River basin and Pennsylvania Marcellus, is making a play for liquids in the Niobrara formation in Colorado in the southern Denver-Julesburg basin.