US Gas Output Kept Rising in April

For the eleventh consecutive month, US dry natural gas production was higher year on year, according to the US Department. of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Data was abstracted by the EIA from its Natural Gas Monthly report for April 2018, released June 29.

Its preliminary dry natural gas production figure for April 2018 was 2.39 trillion ft³, or 79.7 bn ft³/d. That was 8bn ft^3/d (or 11.1%) higher than the April 2017 level of 71.7bn ft³/d. The April 2018 level was also the highest monthly figure since EIA began tracking monthly dry production in 1973.

April's estimated demand was 2.341 trillion ft³, or 78bn ft³/d, which was up 21.7% (13.9bn ft³/d) on the April 2017 level, and the highest monthly figure since 2001.

All four key sectors of consumption were higher year on year: residential by 56.2% to 14.6bn ft³/d (its highest since 1996); commercial up 39.9% to 9.9bn ft³/d (highest since 1973); industrial up 10.2% to 23bn ft³/d (the twelfth consecutive month that this set a new high for the given month); and power generation up 13.5% to 23.6bn ft³/d (third highest for April since 2001).  The US this April was also a net exporter of 1.1bn ft³/d, driven by the continuing rise in LNG exports. They reached 2.9bn ft³/d (gas) to 15 different countries in April 2018, which was 68.6% higher than in April last year.