Natural Gas Production
Top Ten NG Producing Countries
According to the IEA (International Energy Agency), in 2016 the top ten producers of natural gas were as follows:
- United States - 749 bcm (20.7%)
- Russian Federation - 644 bcm (17.8%)
- Islamic Rep of Iran - 190 bcm (5.3%)
- Canada - 174 bcm (4.8%)
- Qatar - 165 bcm (4.6%)
- China - 137 bcm (3.8%)
- Norway - 121 bcm (3.3%)
- Algeria - 92 bcm (2.5%)
- Saudi Arabia - 90 bcm (2.5%)
- Australia - 88 bcm (2.4%)
Note:
bcm = billions of cubic meters
Percentages are percentage of world total.
USA Top NG Producing States
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The top five natural gas producing states in the USA in 2016 were:
- Texas—24%
- Pennsylvania—20%
- Oklahoma—9%
- Louisiana—6%
- Wyoming—5%
History of US Production, Consumption, Imports
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Since 2005 domestic production in the U.S. of dry natural gas has increased annually, while imports have correspondingly decreased. The increase in production is largely due to technological developments for horizontal drilling in tight natural gas resources and hydraulic fracturing techniques.