Lower 48 Natural Gas Output Hits Six-Year High

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that natural gas production in the lower 48 states reached a six-year high in the month of April. Thanks to the development of enormous reserves trapped in shale formations, gross natural gas production rose by 1.1% in April to 69.05 billion cubic feet a day, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Output in the lower 48 was 7.1% higher in April 2011 than in April 2010 and 24.3% higher than in April 2005.

April and March output shows a return to full-strength for producers, whose volumes were curtailed in January and February by unusually cold weather in several basins.

The country’s total gross production, which includes the lower 48 plus Alaska, stood at 78.58 Bcf a day in April, up from 78.16 Bcf a day in March.