Natural gas production in the Appalachian Basin remained flat in 2022 as production from four key Pennsylvania counties fell, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Those four countries — Susquehanna, Washington, Bradford, and Greene – saw a 3 percent decline in production in 2022 compared to the previous year. Specifically, those four counties in Pennsylvania produced 40 percent – or 13.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of the 34.7 Bcf/d of natural gas produced in the Appalachian Basin in 2022. That 13.9 Bcf/d is off about 0.4 Bcf/d, or 3 percent, from 2021.
But overall, as stated, natural gas production from the Appalachian Basin, home to the Marcellus shale formation, was relatively flat in 2022 compared with 2021. It had been increasing every year since 2010.
The Appalachian Basin is the largest natural gas-producing region in the country, accounting for about 29 percent of total U.S. production in 2022.
In the four Pennsylvania counties, output had increased every year since 2013 on the back of drilling efficiency gains. One measure of output is drilling efficiency – and that decreased in 2022 for the first time since 2013.
Of the four top producing Pennsylvania counties, only Greene County increased its average annual production in 2022, according to EIA data.
Overall, Susquehanna County has been the largest producer of natural gas in the state, averaging more than 4.0 Bcf/d since 2018. Washington, Bradford, and Greene counties each produced more than 3.0 Bcf/d in both 2021 and 2022.
The Appalachian Basin is primarily concentrated in three states—Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. However, it also includes production in parts of New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama.
Overall production in the Appalachian Basin grew from 3.3 Bcf/d in 2010 to 34.7 Bcf/d in 2021 because of improved hydraulic fracturing techniques and more horizontal drilling.