Oil production from seven major U.S. shale basins is expected to surpass 8 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d) by the end of the year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a monthly report on Dec. 17.
The United States has surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer, with overall crude production climbing to a weekly record of 11.7 MMbbl/d.
When December ends, shale production is expected to climb to 8.03 MMbbl/d for the first time on record and forecast to rise by about 134,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in January to 8.17 MMbbl/d.
The largest change for January is in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, where output is expected to climb by 73,000 bbl/d to a record of about 3.8 MMbbl/d in January.
In North Dakota's Bakken region, shale production is estimated to rise by 18,000 bbl/d to a record 1.46 MMbbl/d.
U.S. natural gas production, meanwhile, was projected to increase to a record 76.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf.d) in January. That would be up more than 1.1 Bcf/d over the December forecast and would be the 12th monthly increase in a row.
A year ago in January output was 62.8 Bcf/d.
The EIA forecast gas output would increase in all the big shale basins in January.
Output in the Appalachia region, the biggest shale gas play, was set to rise 0.4 Bcf/d to a record 31.5 Bcf/d in January. Production in Appalachia was 26.4 Bcf/d in the same month a year ago.
Recommended Reading
Analysts’ Oilfield Services Forecast: Muddling Through 2025
2025-01-21 - Industry analysts see flat spending and production affecting key OFS players in the year ahead.
E&P Highlights: Jan. 21, 2025
2025-01-21 - Here’s a roundup of the latest E&P headlines, with Flowserve getting a contract from ADNOC and a couple of offshore oil and gas discoveries.
New Jersey’s HYLAN Premiers Gas, Pipeline Division
2025-03-05 - HYLAN’s gas and pipeline division will offer services such as maintenance, construction, horizontal drilling and hydrostatic testing for operations across the Lower 48
Trump Says He Will Double Tariffs on Canadian Metals to 50%
2025-03-11 - President Trump said he would double his tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products in response to Ontario placing a 25% tariff on electricity supplied to the U.S.
Exclusive: Metal Tariffs Unlikely to Disrupt Lower 48 Supply Chain
2025-03-25 - With tariffs discussions creating uncertainty in the energy sector, Luca Zanotti, Tenaris’ U.S. president, said he sees minimal impact with tariffs on oil country tubular goods, in this Hart Energy exclusive interview.