Natural gas production in B.C., and exports to the U.S., increased seven per cent over the first nine months of 2016 despite dismal numbers for drilling new wells, statistics from the Ministry of Natural Gas Development show.
That short-term rise runs counter to longer-term projections from the U.S. Energy Information Agency that estimate U.S. imports of Canadian natural gas will fall dramatically over the coming decades with increases in American domestic production.
B.C. natural gas producers produced a net 35.6 billion cubic metres of gas between January and the end of September of last year and exported 11.8 billion cubic metres to the U.S., which reverses a decline in U.S. exports experienced in 2015.
The production figures are a brighter spot for B.C.’s energy sector than new drilling activity. Gas producers drilled just 341 new wells in 2016, according to figures from the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, a 23-year low.
Derrick Penner – Vancouver Sun – January 13, 2017.
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