Natural Gas

Highlights

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Natural Gas Annual 2019

• The 2019 Natural Gas Annual shows both U.S. dry natural gas production and consumption rose to record highs in 2019.
• Domestic dry natural gas production in 2019 was 34.0 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), or 93.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), and 10.4% higher than the 2018 level of 84.3 Bcf/d. Texas saw the largest volumetric increase in annual dry natural gas production, increasing 15.3%, from 19.3 Bcf/d in 2018 to 22.2 Bcf/d in 2019. Pennsylvania saw the second-largest increase in production, increasing 10.1%, from 16.9 Bcf/d in 2018 to 18.6 Bcf/d in 2019. Wyoming saw the largest decline in production, decreasing 10.6% from 4.3 Bcf/d in 2018 to 3.9 Bcf/d in 2019.
• Deliveries of natural gas to consumers in 2019 were 28.3 Tcf, or 77.6 Bcf/d, an increase of 2.7% from 2018 deliveries. Four of five sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, and vehicle fuel) remained essentially flat from 2018, while electric power deliveries saw an increase to consumers in 2019:
  
  • Deliveries to residential consumers increased 0.4% between 2018 and 2019 to 13.74 Bcf/d.
  • Deliveries to commercial consumers decreased 0.04% to 9.62 Bcf/d, down only 0.004 Bcf/d from 2018’s highest volume on record, dating back to 1930.
  • Deliveries to industrial consumers were essentially flat, increasing 0.05% to 23.07 Bcf/d, the highest volume since 1997.
  • Deliveries as vehicle fuel increased 1.5% to 0.14 Bcf/d, the highest for any year since EIA began tracking vehicle fuel in 1997.
  • Deliveries to the electric power sector increased 6.8% in 2019 to 31.0 Bcf/d. Electric power deliveries were the highest for any year since EIA began tracking them in 1997.
• Beginning with 2018 data, EIA updated its well count methodology to capture all wells on leases with multiple wells that were previously counted as only one well. As a result, this year’s NGA shows a large difference in certain states’ well counts between 2017 and 2018.
• For the fourth consecutive year, the United States was a natural gas net exporter (exports minus imports) in 2019, exporting 1,915 Bcf (5.2 Bcf/d) more natural gas than it imported for the year. U.S. natural gas imports decreased for the second consecutive year. Total imports of natural gas in 2019 were 2,742 Bcf (7.5 Bcf/d), a decrease of 5.1% from 2,889 Bcf (7.9 Bcf/d) in 2018. Exports of natural gas increased year to year for the sixth consecutive year. Total exports of natural gas in 2019 were 4,656 Bcf (12.8 Bcf/d), an increase of 29.1% from 3,608 Bcf (9.9 Bcf/d) in 2018. Total exports for 2019 were the highest of any year on record, dating back to 1973. The United States exported natural gas to 37 countries in 2019, the most ever, up from 33 countries in 2018 and 28 countries in 2017.