A potentially active hurricane season could shut in a substantial portion of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) this year, according to an analysis by Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR). 

“Should a hurricane disrupt oil and gas production in the GOM, EIR’s mid-impact case estimates 40% of total GOM production would be shut in and take seven days to recover; and a high-impact case estimates 90% shut-in and 16 days to recover,” said EIR Vice President Marvin Ma, who authored the report.

EIR estimates that an average hurricane season would impact GOM oil and gas production by about 3% overall during the third quarter of this year.  

U.S. natural gas prices, meanwhile, are likely to become more sensitive to hurricanes over the coming years as Gulf Coast...