Americans continue to use more natural gas as the nation’s unconventional shale plays provide a larger share of domestic gas needs.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA's) recently released Natural Gas Annual pegged total U.S. gas consumption at 26.13 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) during 2013, a 2.3% increase from the prior year—but a sharp 14% increase from just four years earlier in 2009.

“Total U.S. natural gas gross withdrawals reached a new high at 82 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2013, with shale gas wells becoming the largest source of total natural gas production” for the first time, the agency reported.

Production from shale wells averaged 33 Bcf/d for the year, the EIA said. In comparison, U.S. shale wells produced only 5 Bcf/d in 2007 at the start of the energy industry’s run-up in shale drilling and development. Shale wells produced a total of 11.9 Tcf of gas in 2013, compared with 11.3 Tcf from conventional wells. Associated gas produced by oil wells totaled 5.4 Tcf, up from 4.96 Tcf in 2012, while coalbed methane production continued a long-term decline to 1.4 Tcf, down 7.4% for the year.

“In 2007, shale gas wells made up 8% of total natural gas produced in the United States, with 63% of shale gas production coming from Texas,” the EIA added. “Since then, the distribution of shale gas production by state has changed significantly in the United States, especially in Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Arkansas. These states accounted for 26 Bcf/d, or 79%, of U.S shale production in 2013.”

The number of gas-producing wells at year-end 2013 stood at 487,286, up from 482,822 as 2012 ended but down from 493,100 wells at year-end 2009.

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