U.S. natural gas production falls in 2016

Monthly U.S. natural gas production has fallen after reaching a peak of 75 billion cubic feet per day in April 2015, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In 2015, production increased to a record-level average of 74.1 billion cubic feet per day, up 4.5% or 3.2 billion cubic feet per day from 2014. Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia accounted for most of the total increase, largely because of production from the Marcellus and Utica/Point Pleasant shales. The 2015 rise marked the 10^th consecutive annual increase, despite a more than 40% decline in natural gas prices at the Louisiana Henry Hub to $2.62 per million British thermal unit in 2015, from $4.55 per million Btu in 2014.

Texas is the largest natural gas producing state, turning out 19.4 billion cubic feet per day in 2015. Pennsylvania, which has had the largest increase in annual production over the past three years, produced 13 billion cubic feet per day in 2015, an 11% increase from 2014. Ohio had the highest percentage increase in production, rising 49.9% to 2.6 billion cubic feet per day in 2015, from 1.3 billion cubic feet per day in 2014. Louisiana reported the largest decline, with production decreasing 10.8% to 4.8 billion cubic feet per day in 2015.

Last year, production in Arkansas fell 10% to 2.77 billion cubic feet per day, from 3.07 billion cubic feet per day in 2014. In 2013, production reached a peak of 3.12 billion cubic feet per day.

Shale wells continue to generate the most natural gas and account for 47% of the total natural gas production.