The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) reported preliminary October state production of 74.68 million bbl of crude oil and 636.23 Bcf of natural gas (total, from both gas and oil wells).

The preliminary figures are based on volumes reported by operators and will be updated as late and corrected production reports are received at the RRC.

Production reported to the RRC for the same period last year was 68.68 million bbl of crude oil, which was later updated to a current figure of 86.74 million bbl; and 610.60 Bcf of gas, updated to a current figure of 742.63 Bcf.

Top crude-producing counties were Karnes, La Salle, Dewitt, Midland and Martin. Top gas-producing counties were Webb, Tarrant, Panola, Dimmit and Johnson.

September total gas production was 659.36 Bcf, which was down from 692.05 Bcf in August and down from 714.48 Bcf in September 2014. September crude production was 88.28 million bbl, down from 92.90 million bbl in August and down from 95.93 in September 2014. Historical production data is available on the RRC website.

Despite significant reductions in rig counts (see Shale Daily, Dec. 18), production has remained stubbornly strong as the state’s oil and gas industry reels from depressed commodity prices (see Daily GPI, Dec. 7).

RRC said that in the last 12 months, total reported production was 1.01 billion bbl of crude oil and 8.4 Tcf of total gas. Crude oil production reported by the commission is limited to oil produced from oil leases and does not include condensate, which is reported separately.

Preliminary October crude oil production averaged 2.41 million b/d, compared to the 2.22 million b/d in October 2014. Preliminary October 2015 total gas production averaged 20.53 Bcf/d, compared to the 19.70 Bcf/d in October 2014.

Texas October 2015 production came from 182,319 oil wells and 94,363 gas wells.

Texas is home to some of the nation’s most active oil and natural gas shale/resource plays, including the Eagle Ford, Barnett, Permian and Wolfcamp. For more information on resources in Texas and the rest of North America, check out NGI’s freshly updated for 2016 Shale/Resource Plays & North American Natural Gas Pipelines Map. Visit naturalgasintel.com/shalemap.