U.S. Natural Gas Production Reached New High in 2019: EIA

U.S. dry natural gas production rose by 10 percent in 2019 from the prior year, reaching a record-high average of 93.1 billion cubic feet per day, according to an Oct. 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. natural gas consumption increased by 3 percent due to increased power sector consumption while gross exports saw a 29 percent increase.

Among the key statistics:

• This growth in dry natural gas production marks “the second-largest volumetric increase since at least 1930 and second only to last year’s increase,” according to the agency.
• The two largest gas-producing states, Texas and Pennsylvania, saw the largest production increases in 2019, with Texas recording a 15 percent increase in annual average production and Pennsylvania experiencing a 10 percent rise.
• The power sector consumed 7 percent more gas in 2019 than the previous year largely because of favorable prices and ongoing coal plant retirements; gas consumption in other sectors remained relatively unchanged.
• As production increased, the volume of exports rose for the fifth straight year to an annual average of billion cubic feet per day, with liquefied natural gas exports accounting for most of the increase.