CONSOL Energy Inc the leading diversified fuel producer in the Eastern US is providing an operations update for the quarter ended December 31st 2011.

Gas Division Operations
CONSOL Energy had a very successful 2011 Marcellus Shale drilling program. In 2011, in the Marcellus Shale Joint Venture with Noble Energy, 78 gross wells were drilled, all by CONSOL. The geographic breakdown is as follows: 19 in Central Pennsylvania, 50 in Southwest Pennsylvania, and 9 in Northern West Virginia. Total daily (net) Marcellus Shale production nearly doubled from 40 MMcf per day as of December 31, 2010 to 77.5 MMcf per day as of December 31st 2011. During 2011, 57 horizontal wells were placed online. Total well costs averaged $5.0 million per well. The average completed lateral was 3,853 feet (or, 3,367 perf to perf), with twelve frac stages. Maximum 24-hour production averaged 5.0 MMcf per well, while peak 30 day production averaged 3.5 MMcf per well per day. EURs averaged 5.2 Bcf per well.

Central PA: During the fourth quarter of 2011, CONSOL Energy continued to successfully de risk its huge Marcellus Shale acreage position with the 10 well Hutchinson pad in northwestern Westmoreland County. As earlier reported, the 10 well Hutchinson pad, the company believes, is the industry's largest single pad drilled to date in the Marcellus Shale. The 10 wells were drilled and completed for approximately $48 million, with drilled laterals cased and completed totaling 41,200 feet (or, 3,983 feet per well, perf to perf). The pad had 138 continuous frac stages, which used 47 million pounds of sand and 47 million gallons of water.