Crude oil output in the U.S. dropped by over 1 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d) in February, falling to the lowest levels since October 2017, according to a monthly government report released April 30.
U.S. oil production dropped 1.197 MMbbl/d in February to 9.862 MMbbl/d, shows a monthly report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Production fell in top producing states North Dakota and Texas as well as in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, the report said.
February’s data is the first time that oil production has dropped below 10 MMbbl/d since January 2018, according to the agency. The output drop came as a freeze in Texas shut in some production, but declines were also seen in other major oil-producing states.
Meanwhile, monthly gross natural gas production in the U.S. Lower 48 states fell by 7.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), the biggest monthly decline on record, to 94.8 Bcf/d in February, according to data in EIA’s 914 production report going back to 2005.
That gas output drop in February was due to severe weather that froze gas wells and pipes in Texas and other states in the central United States. It followed production increases during the prior three months.
Gross gas output peaked at 107.1 Bcf/d in December 2019.
In top gas-producing states, output fell 15.4% in Texas to 23.5 Bcf/d in February, the lowest in a month since February 2018, but held steady near a record high of 21.2 Bcf/d in Pennsylvania.
Other states that suffered big declines due to the February freeze included Oklahoma (down 16.7%), Arkansas (down 15.6%), Kansas (down 11.2%) and Louisiana (down 10.0%).
Recommended Reading
Bottlenecks Holding US Back from NatGas, LNG Dominance
2025-03-13 - North America’s natural gas abundance positions the region to be a reliable power supplier. But regulatory factors are holding the industry back from fully tackling the global energy crisis, experts at CERAWeek said.
LNG, Data Centers, Winter Freeze Offer Promise for NatGas in ‘25
2025-02-06 - New LNG export capacity and new gas-fired power demand have prices for 2025 gas and beyond much higher than the early 2024 outlook expected. And kicking the year off: a 21-day freeze across the U.S.
Expand CFO: ‘Durable’ LNG, Not AI, to Drive US NatGas Demand
2025-02-14 - About three-quarters of future U.S. gas demand growth will be fueled by LNG exports, while data centers’ needs will be more muted, according to Expand Energy CFO Mohit Singh.
Dallas Fed: Trump Can Cut Red Tape, but Raising Prices Trickier
2025-01-02 - U.S. oil and gas executives expect fewer regulatory headaches under Trump but some see oil prices sliding, according to the fourth-quarter Dallas Fed Energy Survey.
Segrist: American LNG Unaffected by Cut-Off of Russian Gas Supply
2025-02-24 - The last gas pipeline connecting Russia to Western Europe has shut down, but don’t expect a follow-on effect for U.S. LNG demand.