U.S. natural gas production was 2.56 Tcf in November, up from 2.47 Tcf in November 2012, and was on pace to set a record high for all of 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Monthly Energy Review (MER).

The production total through the first 11 months of 2013 was 27.54 Tcf, a 1.9% increase compared with the first 11 months of 2012 (27.02 Tcf), and a 6.2% increase compared with the 2011 11-month total (25.94 Tcf), according to the report, which was released Wednesday.

U.S. natural gas production, which had remained relatively stagnant for several years (between 23.46 Tcf and 24.66 Tcf from 2000-2007), began a steep acceleration coinciding with the blooming of the nation’s shale plays, reaching 25.64 Tcf in 2008, 26.06 Tcf in 2009, 26.82 Tcf in 2010, 28.48 Tcf in 2011 and 29.54 Tcf in 2012, according to EIA data.

November’s 85.28 Bcf/d production level was a record monthly high and was lifted by a record high 28.41 Bcf/d from the he Other States category, which includes Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, EIA said in its recent Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report (see Shale Daily, Feb. 3).

Total marketed production (wet) in November was 2.16 Tcf, compared with 2.10 Tcf in November 2012. Dry gas production was 2.05 Tcf, compared with 2.00 Tcf in November 2012.

EIA reported 113 Bcf of natural gas exports in November, down from 142 Bcf in November 2012, and imports were 208 Bcf, down from 234 Bcf in the year-ago period.

Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gave its sixth conditional approval to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), this time to Sempra Energy’s Cameron LNG LLC in Cameron Parish, LA (see Daily GPI, Feb. 11). With DOE’s Cameron approval the volume of authorized and conditionally authorized exports to non-free trade agreement countries has climbed to 8.47 Bcf/d.

Domestic consumption of natural gas was on the rise in November, reaching 2.30 Tcf, compared with 2.17 Tcf in November 2012, EIA said.