Bloomberg: natural gas production in the U.S. dropped to a record low due to frost and frozen pipes
Analysts at the agency estimate that due to record frosts, daily natural gas production for December 23 decreased by almost 10%. This is due to frozen pipes and the suspension of production at some fields
U.S. natural gas production suffered its biggest one-day drop in more than a decade on Friday, Dec. 23, Bloomberg reported.
According to analysts at the agency, U.S. natural gas supplies fell by 2.8 million cubic meters, or nearly 10 percent of production, in a 24-hour period. This is due to a strong winter storm that hit most of North America, which froze liquid in the main gas pipelines, and gas producers were forced to close some wells.
At the same time, domestic gas demand rose to its highest daily level since early 2019, Bloomberg noted. Analysts expect production levels won’t be restored until Saturday at the earliest.
A snowstorm hit much of the United States on Dec. 23. According to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), more than 200 million Americans in 48 states received advisories or warnings about the increased danger level on Friday. Forecasters clarified that the Weather Service map “displays one of the most extensive winter weather warnings and advisories in recorded history.”
The power outage left more than 1.5 million homes and businesses without power, according to the website PowerOutage, which tracks utility reports, the Associated Press reported. At least 16 people died because of the storm.