US shale output in March set to hit 10-month high
NEW YORK — US shale oil production for March is expected to rise by the most in five months to its highest rate since May last year, government data showed on Monday, as energy companies boost drilling on the back of crude prices that are hovering over $50 a barrel.
March oil production is forecast to rise by nearly 79,000 barrels per day to 4.87 million bpd, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s drilling productivity report. That would be the biggest monthly rise since October.
In the Permian shale play of West Texas and New Mexico, output is forecast to rise by more than 70,000 bpd to 2.25 million bpd, in what would be the biggest monthly rise since January 2016.
Meanwhile, Eagle Ford production in Texas is expected to rise by 14,000 bpd to 1.08 million bpd, the first monthly increase since December 2015, EIA data showed.
In North Dakota’s Bakken field, production is forecast to fall by nearly 18,000 bpd to 976,000 bpd, the fifth consecutive monthon-month decrease.