Continuing a string of records, domestic dry gas production in January reached 2.30 Tcf (74.2 Bcf/d), the highest for any January since EIA began reporting such data in 1973 and the third straight January to set such a record, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.

Stagnant market prices weren’t enough to hold down natural gas production in the United States last year, with records set several times and the 2015 total ballooning to 27.09 Tcf, a 5.3% increase compared with 25.73 Tcf in 2014 (see Daily GPI, March 1).

Total U.S. natural gas production was 2.83 Tcf in January, compared with 2.77 Tcf in January 2015, according to EIA’s latest Natural Gas Monthly report. Alaska reported 298.81 Bcf (up from 291.77 Bcf in January 2015); Louisiana, 159.09 (down from 164.59 Bcf); Oklahoma, 211.21 Bcf (up from 206.82 Bcf); New Mexico, 99.73 Bcf (down from 103.31 Bcf); Texas, 708.03 Bcf (down from 731.83 Bcf); Wyoming, 161.18 Bcf (down from 166.39 Bcf); and Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, 110.21 Bcf (down from 110.53 Bcf).

Significantly larger increases were reported from shale-rich states previously grouped in EIA’s “other states” category (see Daily GPI, June 30, 2015). Pennsylvania reported 450.18 Bcf, up 11.6% compared with 403.37 Bcf in January 2015, and Ohio reported 112.08 Bcf, a mind-boggling 75.0% increase compared with 64.05 Bcf in January 2015. Also formerly grouped in the Other States category were Arkansas (77.79 Bcf), California (18.91 Bcf), Colorado (143.25 Bcf), Kansas (22.47 Bcf), Montana (4.51 Bcf), North Dakota (49.93 Bcf), Utah (34.16 Bcf) and West Virginia (114.24 Bcf). The diminished Other States category reported 49.40 Bcf.

U.S. crude production was 9.18 million b/d in January, down 1.7% compared with 9.34 million b/d in January 2015, according to EIA. Declines were widespread and included the nation’s two largest crude-producing states: Texas (3.37 million b/d, down 0.2%) and North Dakota (1.11 million b/d, down 5.1%).

The Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico bucked the trend with an estimated 1.61 million b/d, up 7.6% compared with 1.50 million b/d a year earlier.

Consumption of dry natural gas, which also hit record marks at times in 2015, in December was 3.13 Tcf (101.1 Bcf/d), a 0.2% increase from January 2015. Electric power deliveries in January were 777 Bcf (25.1 Bcf/d), an 8.8% increase from 23.0 Bcf/d in January 2015. Industrial deliveries were 723 Bcf (23.3 Bcf/d), a 1.0% decrease from January 2015. In a continuation of a lengthy downward trend, deliveries to residential consumers were 890 Bcf, (28.7 Bcf/d), down 4.9% from January 2015, and commercial deliveries were 510 Bcf, (16.5 Bcf/d), a 4.1% decrease from January 2015.

Net imports of natural gas were 105 Bcf for January, compared with 135 Bcf a year ago.