NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. crude oil production shattered a 47-year output record in November, and then retreated slightly in December, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, as oil production from shale continued to upend global supply patterns.
Oil output rose to 10.057 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, according to revised figures from the EIA. December production fell 108,000 bpd to 9.949 million bpd, the EIA said.
November’s output was the highest on record, surpassing the 10.044 million bpd of crude produced in November 1970. Monthly average oil output for the United States has only surpassed 10 million bpd on one other occasion, in October 1970.
In December, production pulled back after three consecutive increases, according to the EIA. The production decline was largely driven by Gulf of Mexico output, which dropped by 131,000 bpd in the month, even as production from shale in Texas continued to grow. Four Gulf of Mexico platforms were shuttered throughout the month in the wake of a fire.
U.S. natural gas production in the lower 48 states rose to a monthly all-time high of 87.1 billion cubic feet per day in December, from the prior record of 86.4 bcfd in November, according to the report.
A year ago, gas production was just 78.5 bcfd in December 2016.
The latest increase was driven by a 3.1 percent gain in Pennsylvania, to a record high of 16.2 bcfd, and a 3.7 percent gain in Louisiana to 7.0 bcfd, the highest since March 2013.
Output in Texas, the nation’s largest gas producer, eased 0.2 percent to 22.7 bcfd.
Soaring U.S. production kept a lid on oil prices this year, even though the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia have reduced output.