The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on February 19 that it expected domestic natural gas production to continue growing over the next three decades.
In a statement posted on its website, the EIA said that four of the five forecasting models used to compile its Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) showed that dry gas yields would not peak before mid-century. The reference-case model sees annual output rising from about 34 trillion cubic feet (963 billion cubic meters) in 2020 to around 45 tcf (1.274 trillion cubic meters) in 2050, it said.
Most of the additional production will be exported rather than delivered to end-users in the U.S., the EIA added. It pointed out, though, that export volumes were likely to level out in the long term, with the reference case showing both pipeline and LNG exports growing until 2030.
“In most of the AEO2020 cases, net natural gas exports continue to increase through 2050, and most of the increase is in the near term,” it stated.