State’s natural gas output falls by about 45%

Natural gas production in Texas fell by almost half during last week’s winter storm as power outages, bitter cold and ice knocked out wells, processing facilities and pipelines, according to a federal report.

In Texas, the nation’s largest natural gas producing state, production declined by about 45 percent to 11.8 billion cubic feet per day on Feb. 17, down from 21.3 billion cubic feet per day during the week before the winter storm, according to consulting firm IHS Markit.

As a result, U.S. production fell by 21 percent to 69.7 billion cubic feet per day on Feb. 17, down nearly 18.9 billion cubic feet per day from the week ended Feb. 13, according to the Energy Department.

The Energy Department said the decline in natural gas output was mostly a result of “freezeoffs,” which occur when water and other liquids used in hydraulic fracturing freeze at the wellhead and in natural gas gathering lines. While production facilities are weatherized in the north, those in Texas are not.

“Natural gas production infrastructure, such as wellheads, gathering lines and processing facilities, in Texas are more susceptible to the effects of extremely cold weather,” the Energy Department said.

Although natural gas companies ramped up production ahead of the storm in anticipation of higher demand for heating and electricity, the lack of winterization and power outages to well sites caused supply chain issues that contributed to the failure of the power grid, experts said. The power outages and freezing temperatures kicked off a vicious cycle in which producers couldn’t deliver enough gas to power plants, shutting down power plants and reducing further gas production.

Natural gas output in Texas began to recover as temperatures started to rise after Feb. 17. Daily production reached an estimated 20.9 billion cubic feet per day on Feb. 24, about 300 million cubic feet less than the average before the storm, the Energy Department said.