The United States Can See Record Natural Gas Production in 2022

According to a Rystad Energy report, natural gas output in the United States will reach a new high of 93.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) in 2022 and will continue to increase, surpassing 100 Bcfd in 2024. As a result, investors and markets will be more interested in the output of the country’s main gas basins, with CO2 emissions intensity, capital efficiency, and possible bottlenecks all being closely scrutinised.

The country’s performance hit a new high of 92.1 Bcfd in 2019, but production fell to 90.8 Bcfd in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Rystad Energy, volumes will drop even further in 2021, to 89.7 Bcfd. However, the trend will rapidly reverse as the pandemic’s impact fades and production picks up across the country’s major gas basins.

Rystad Energy’s review shows, the Appalachian Basin was the best-in-class in the United States in terms of CO2 emissions intensity in 2020, and the region is on track to report a record-high capital efficiency in 2021, with reinvestment to sustain production at its lowest level ever. Meanwhile, unless more pipelines are permitted, the Haynesville play will continue to deliver the highest gas production growth in the future, posing a risk of bottlenecks.

In terms of CO2 emissions intensity, the Appalachian region is the highest in the United States, with 7.1 kg of CO2 per barrel of oil equivalent (boe) in 2020, thanks to well-established and relatively modern infrastructure and widespread adoption of e-frac fleets, according to Rystad Energy’s Scope 1 upstream emissions review.