The Plumbing of the U.S. Natural Gas Balance

The U.S. produces more natural gas than any country on earth — about — bcf/d of dry gas, mostly from the Appalachian, Permian, and Haynesville shale plays. The system runs on pipelines, balanced by working-gas storage that injects in summer and withdraws in winter. A decade ago LNG exports were zero; today they're — bcf/d and growing. The EIA storage report drops every Thursday at 10:30 ET.

Natural gas Residential / Commercial Industrial Electric power LNG export color identifies each flow

Gas supply · in

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production + imports

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Working gas storage

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— vs 5-yr avg

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LNG exports

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bcf/d · Gulf Coast terminals

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Henry Hub spot

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$/MMBtu · daily

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SOURCE · U.S. Energy Information Administration. Storage from the Natural Gas Weekly Update (Lower 48 working gas, Thursday 10:30 ET release). Production, consumption by sector, imports, and LNG exports from the Natural Gas Monthly. Henry Hub from the EIA daily spot price series. The seasonal storage cycle — injection April–October, withdrawal November–March — is the cleanest read on whether the system is structurally short or long gas at any moment.

SECOND·ORDER·EDGE

The Plumbing of theU.S. natural gas balance

The Plumbing of the
U.S. natural gas balance