EIA: Permian sets natural gas production record - Midland Reporter-Telegram
EIA: Permian Basin sets natural gas production record
Local restrictions on gas hookups in new housing have drawn a counterattack funded by the natural gas industry. Photographer: Géza Bálint Ujvárosi/EyeEm/Getty Images Géza Bálint Ujvárosi/EyeEm/Photographer: Géza Bálint Ujv
Long a powerhouse – both nationally and globally – in crude oil production, the Permian Basin has also become a powerhouse natural gas producer.
The Energy Information Administration said this week gross natural gas production in the Permian reached a record high of 21 billion cubic feet per day in 2022, 14% above the 2021 average. The federal agency added in its Drilling Productivity Report that Permian natural gas production continued to grow in the first four months of this year, up 60 million cubic feet per day in June over June 2022 levels. The increase comes as Permian operators increase their crude oil production with a corresponding rise in the natural gas associated with that crude.
Related Knowledge Center: Methane
As the production of natural gas from shale fields has expanded, so have methane emissions. U.S. methane emissions grew 27 percent from 1990 to 2009, according to the Energy Information Administration. Methane contributes about 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.