EIA: U.S. Natural Gas Production Hits New Record

U.S. natural gas production increased by 12% in 2018 to 28.5 Bcfd (0.81 X 10⁹ m³/d), reaching a new record high for the second consecutive year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Continued growth in liquified natural gas (LNG) export capacity and the ability to reach new markets have been factors in the country’s natural gas production increases in recent years, the EIA said.

Russia also saw an increase in natural gas production in 2018, jumping by 7%, which exceeded its growth in exports. The Yamal LNG export facility, which loaded its first cargo in December 2017, can liquefy more than 16 million tons of natural gas annually and accounts for almost all of the recent growth in Russia’s LNG exports. Since 2000, more than 80% of Russia’s natural gas exports have been sent to Europe, the EIA said.

The United States’ energy production growth last year was one of the largest absolute natural gas and petroleum production increases from a single country. The U.S. saw a 16% jump in its petroleum production in 2018. The combined increases for natural gas and petroleum set a new production record for the United States, the EIA said.