EIA: U.S. natural gas production in 2022 continues to grow

According to the latest report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas production across the country continues to grow.

In 2022, production grew by 4 percent, the EIA said, averaging 119 Billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). In comparison, production stood near 80 Bcf/d in 2012. According to the report, production grew from 2021 to a high in 2020 when it dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Production levels have continued to climb since.

Three regions – Appalachia, Permian, and Haynesville – currently make up 60 percent of all U.S. production. In comparison, those regions made up 30 percent of production in 2012, with the rest of the country accounting for 70 percent of the production.

The Appalachian region in the Northeast produces about a third of the country’s natural gas (29 percent), accounting for 34.6 Bcf/d. However, its growth has slowed of late due to a lack of sufficient pipeline takeaway capacity. With no new major pipeline capacity added in 2022, the region grew just 0.1 percent in 2022, less than the region saw in 2020.

In the southwest, the Permian region in western Texas and New Mexico and the Haynesville region in Texas and Louisiana make up 36.2 percent of the national gross natural gas production. In the Permian region, withdrawals rose by 2.6 Bcf/d to 21 Bcf/d, while in the Haynesville region, production grew to 15.3 Bcf/d or about 13 percent of all U.S. natural gas withdrawals.

Gross natural gas production also grew in the Eagle Ford region in Texas. In 2022, the region saw 0.9 Bcf/d, an 18 percent increase and the first increase the area had seen since 2019.