WEST UNION, W.Va. -- Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is headed to Doddridge County to tour a new natural gas production operation and to cut the ribbon on the facility.

He'll be joined Thursday morning by Frank Semple, the president of MarkWest Energy Partners, and by Paul Rady, chairman of Antero Resources Appalachian Corp.

The Sherwood processing plant in West Union will handle gas produced by local Antero wells.

Colorado-based Antero is the second-largest gas driller operating in West Virginia, producing 51 million cubic feet as of December 2011.

The first horizontally drilled Marcellus shale gas well started producing in December 2007 in Marshall County. Since then, statewide production has soared.

Chesapeake Appalachia is the single biggest producer, with a statewide total of 84 million cubic feet through the end of last year.