Natural gas production in Texas fell by almost half during last week’s winter storm as power outages, freezing temperatures and ice knocked out wells, processing facilities and pipelines, according to a new federal report.
Texas natural gas production fell almost 45 percent to 11.8 billion cubic feet per day on Wednesday Feb. 17, down from 21.3 billion cubic feet per day during the week prior to the winter storm ended Feb. 13, according to estimates from consulting firm IHS Markit.
As a result, U.S. natural gas production fell by 21 percent to 69.7 billion cubic feet per day on FEb. 17, down nearly 18.9 billion cubic feet per day from the week ended Feb. 13, according to the Energy Department. The decline in U.S. production can be attributed to the winter storm’s impact in Texas, the nation’s largest natural gas producing state.
The Energy Department said the decline in natural gas production was mostly a result of “freeze-offs,” which occurs when water and other liquids used in hydraulic fracturing freeze at the wellhead and natural gas gathering lines. While natural gas production facilities are weatherized in the north, Texas natural gas facilities are not.
“Natural gas production infrastructure, such as wellheads, gathering lines and processing facilities, in Texas are more susceptible to the effects of extremely cold weather,” the Energy Department said.
PERFECT STORM: Energy supply chain slashed by extreme weather
Although natural gas producers ramped up production ahead of the winter storm in anticipation of higher demand for heating and electricity, the lack of winterization and power outages to well sites caused supply chain issues, which contributed to the failure of the power grid, experts said. The power outages and freezing temperatures kicked off a vicious cycle in which producers could not produce and deliver natural gas to power plants, which then forced power generation offline that forced more natural gas production offline.
Natural gas production in Texas began to recover as temperatures started to rise after Feb. 17. Daily production reached an estimated 20.9 billion cubic feet per day on Wednesday, Feb. 24, just about 300 million cubic feet lower than the average prior to the winter storm, the Energy Department said.
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February 25, 2021 at 09:07PM
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Texas natural gas production fell by almost half during winter storm - Houston Chronicle
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