The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said inventories for the week ending April 21 rose by a slightly higher-than-expected 79 Bcf, expanding already hefty surpluses even further less than a month into the injection season.

June Nymex natural gas futures were flat ahead of the EIA report, trading near $2.310/MMBtu in the minutes leading up to the EIA report. As the print crossed trading desks, the new prompt month slipped into the red. By 11 a.m. ET, however, June futures were trading at $2.317, up seven-tenths of a cent from Wednesday’s close.

Enelyst managing director Het Shah said the EIA’s 79 Bcf injection was 1.0 Bcf/d loose year/year when adjusted for weather.

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