The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday reported a 7 Bcf injection into natural gas storage facilities for the week ended March 15, heaping additional pressure on natural gas futures.

Ahead of the 10:30 a.m. ET storage print, April Nymex futures were trading down 2.1 cents day/day at $1.678/MMBtu. After the data was released, the contract moved to about $1.682. By around 11 a.m. ET, it was trading 3.1 cents lower than Wednesday’s regular session close of $1.699.

The market had largely anticipated the storage injection, which compared bearishly to historical norms, including the five-year average 42 Bcf withdrawal and the 68 Bcf pull reported for the same week last year. The single-digit build brought the total working gas supply to 2,332 Bcf.

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