Strong growth in U.S. natural gas production in 2019 will outweigh low inventory levels and put downward pressure on prices, resulting in an average Henry Hub spot price of $3.11/MMBtu for the year, 6 cents below the 2018 average, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The price forecast, included in EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), is up 13 cents/MMBtu compared with the $2.98/MMBtu prognostication in the previous STEO.