Storage Inventories

U.S. inventories of working natural gas in storage reached new records in 2011. While the natural gas storage injection season traditionally ends on October 31, injections continued into November. EIA's Weekly Natural Storage Report posted a new record inventory level of 3,852 Bcf for the week ending November 18, 2011, and remained at 3,843 Bcf at the end of November, the second-highest monthly level on record, after 3,851 recorded in October 2010.⁹ Much of the injection activity came near the end of the injection season, coinciding with the continued high production levels through the end of the summer cooling season. Storage inventories lagged behind both the 5-year (2006-2010) average and the previous year's levels until autumn. A warmer-than-normal start to the winter heating season, as well as abundant production, kept levels high through the rest of 2011 (Figure 10).

figure data

Inventories in the Producing Region, which includes Texas and the rest of the West South Central Census region, posted net declines for five consecutive weeks in July and August, to supply natural gas for power generation for air-conditioning load during the extreme heat.¹⁰ Although net withdrawals are not uncommon in the middle of summer in the Producing Region, five consecutive weeks of withdrawals was unprecedented until recent years.¹¹ Despite the summer withdrawals, the Producing Region hit record-high levels at the end of the injection season, and was the biggest contributor to the new inventory record. Additionally, the majority of increases in both demonstrated peak working gas capacity and design capacity occurred in the Producing Region.¹² According to an annual EIA report, as of April 2011, demonstrated peak working gas capacity in the United States rose to 4,103 Bcf, an increase of 54 Bcf from the previous year, with most of the increase occurring in the Producing Region.

Footnotes