US natural gas prices climbed to $2.92 per million British thermal units after EIA data showed that high temperatures and robust air-conditioning use curbed the volume of gas injected into storage last week. Energy companies added 44 billion cubic feet to storage in the week ended September 11, well below the 87 bcf increase recorded a year earlier and the five-year average build of 74 bcf. Total inventories rose to 3.298 trillion cubic feet, about 3.6% lower than a year ago but still 3.7% above the five-year average.
Looking ahead, forecasts point to warmer-than-normal weather persisting through October 2, which is expected to sustain gas demand from power generators. Average flows to the nine major US LNG export terminals are projected to decline to a three-week low of 17.5 bcfd, primarily due to maintenance at the Cameron LNG facility in Louisiana. On the supply side, production in the Lower 48 states has averaged 113.1 bcfd so far in September, surpassing August’s record monthly average of 112.2 bcfd.
