据路透社3月3日消息称，根据美国能源信息署(EIA)的数据，2020年美国天然气产量(按总采气量计算)平均为1112亿立方英尺/天，比2019年减少了9亿立方英尺/天，这是由于2020年天然气和石油价格低导致钻井活动减少的结果。
2019年天然气产量创纪录的增长导致了天然气储量增加和天然气价格下降。从2020年3月开始，气温高于平均水平，加上应对COVID-19的影响，压低了天然气需求，并进一步降低了价格。美国天然气月平均产量最低是在2020年5月，为1064亿立方英尺/天。到2020年12月，天然气产量已增至1130亿立方英尺/天。
阿巴拉契亚地区仍然是美国最大的天然气产区。尽管区域天然气现货价格较低，但俄亥俄州、西弗吉尼亚州和宾夕法尼亚州的Marcellus和Utica/Point Pleasant页岩的天然气产量仍在增长。这三个州的天然气产量从2019年的321亿立方英尺/天增加到2020年的336亿立方英尺/天。在阿巴拉契亚地区，西弗吉尼亚州天然气产量增幅最大，增加了12亿立方英尺/天，达到71亿立方英尺/天，增幅为20%。宾夕法尼亚州的天然气产量增加了10亿立方英尺/天，俄亥俄州减少了7亿立方英尺/天。
2020年，俄克拉荷马州的天然气产量下降幅度最大，为11亿立方英尺/天，下降13%，年平均产量为76亿立方英尺/天。尽管德克萨斯州的天然气产量从2019年的284亿立方英尺/天下降到2020年的281亿立方英尺/天，但该州仍是最大的天然气生产州。
曹海斌 摘译自 路透社
原文如下：
EIA: annual US natural gas production decreased by 1% in 2020
US natural gas production — as measured by gross withdrawals — averaged 111.2 billion ft3/d in 2020, down 0.9 billion ft3/d from 2019 as result of a decline in drilling activity related to low natural gas and oil prices in 2020, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The 2019 record-high increase in natural gas production led to higher volumes of natural gas in storage and lower natural gas prices. Beginning in March 2020, warmer-than-average weather along with the effects of the responses to COVID-19 drove down natural gas demand and further reduced prices. The lowest average monthly US natural gas production volume was in May 2020 at 106.4 billion ft3/d. By December 2020, natural gas production had increased to 113 billion ft3/d.
The Appalachia region remains the largest natural-gas producing region in the US. Natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica/Point Pleasant shales of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania continued to grow despite low regional natural gas spot prices. Natural gas production from these three states increased from 32.1 billion ft3/d in 2019 to 33.6 billion ft3/d in 2020. Within the Appalachia region, West Virginia had the largest increase in natural gas production, increasing by 1.2 billion ft3/d, or 20%, to reach 7.1 billion ft3/d. Natural gas production increased by 1 billion ft3/d in Pennsylvania and decreased by 0.7 billion ft3/d in Ohio.
In 2020, Oklahoma had the largest decrease in natural gas production, falling by 1.1 billion ft3/d, or 13%, to an annual average of 7.6 billion ft3/d. Texas remained the largest natural-gas producing state, although natural gas production in the state decreased from 28.4 billion ft3/d in 2019 to 28.1 billion ft3/d in 2020.
