ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Ohio shale drillers produced enough natural gas during the first three months of 2015 to power nearly 4.5 million homes for an entire year, despite a slowdown in production due to lower commodity prices.

Numbers released last week by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources show production from wells in Belmont, Jefferson, Monroe and Harrison counties helped total natural gas output statewide to reach 183.5 billion cubic feet from Jan. 1-March 31, which is nearly three times the 67.3 Bcf pumped during the same period last year.

To put that in context, 1 Bcf is enough fuel to run 3,600 TVs continuously for 100 years, or provide power to 24,315 homes for one year.

"The Utica Shale remains a viable play. While we have seen a slowdown in drilling, we are seeing some wells come online that had been shut-in due to the lack of pipeline infrastructure," Shawn Bennett, senior vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, said.

"We are still a few years away from having all the pipelines we need. More pipelines are integral to the success of the Utica," he added. "If an operator puts $10 million into a well, he needs to make sure he can get that well online."

Though Ohio features both Marcellus and Utica shale rock formations, the field is generally considered part of the Utica Shale region. Most Utica Shale production consists of natural gas, but oil production also is up in Ohio.

DNR records show the American Energy Partners' Shugert Daddy well in Guernsey County leads the way with 40,683 barrels of oil produced from Jan. 1-March 31. State oil yields totaled 4.4 million barrels in the first quarter of this year compared to just 1.95 million barrels through the same period in 2014.

In the volatile oil and natural gas market, Bennett said some drillers may leave Ohio for more prolific oil plays in North Dakota or Texas if the price of crude approaches $85 per barrel.

"If oil goes up and natural gas stays low, more operators will head out. What we really need to see is a rebound in prices for natural gas liquids," Bennett said regarding ethane, propane and butane.

In Belmont County, drillers such as Gulfport Energy, Rice Energy, American Energy Partners, and XTO Energy continue leading the way in natural gas production, according to ODNR statistics. The county features some major producing wells, led by Rice Energy's Blue Thunder operation along Ohio 149 between Belmont and Warnock. A pair of wells on this pad each yielded 1.41 Bcf from Jan.1-March 31, ODNR records show, which also means they were the most productive in the entire state over the period.

The Antero Resources operation at the DK Carpenter site in Seneca Township leads the way in Monroe County, as this well rendered 1.31 Bcf during the first quarter. The county also has a lucrative oil well with the XTO operation yielding 7,689 barrels in Switzerland Township.

Harrison County features a larger number of active shale wells than Belmont and Monroe, with the most productive the Hess Corp. well in Archer Township, which produced 566 million cubic feet during the period.

Harrison County also claims the most productive oil well in the four eastern Ohio counties, as the American Energy Partners Tarbert well in Moorefield Township pumped 29,741 barrels over the period.

The most productive natural gas well in Jefferson County is the Ciacci operation in Springfield Township, with production of 457 million cubic feet during the first three months of the year.