US net natural gas imports fell 14% last year to 1,311 Bcf, the lowest level since 1989, as US production likely set a new record, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.
The agency said total imports in 2013 fell 8% to 2,883 Bcf from the 2012 level. Pipeline imports, almost all from Canada, declined 6% year on year to 2,786 Bcf, while LNG imports dropped 45% to 97 Bcf.
The agency attributed the drop in imports to increased domestic production. Based on preliminary data for 2013, EIA said domestic dry natural gas production rose 1% to 24,282 Bcf, a new record.
Total exports, which increased in all but two years from 1997 to 2012, decreased 3% to 1,572 Bcf in 2013. Pipeline exports decreased 1% to 1,569 Bcf, while LNG exports, already lower than 2% of total exports, decreased to 3 Bcf. For the first time, the US exported a small amount of CNG to Canada by truck, totaling 0.1 Bcf.