Rita: MMS says US Gulf natgas beginning to recover

26 September 2005 19:32  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--US production of natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico is beginning to recover, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) said on Monday, citing a modest reduction in the amount of shut-in capacity.

 

MMS said that the amount of shut-in gas production in the Gulf is 7.843bn cubic feet (bcf) per day, “equivalent to 78.43% of the daily gas production in the GOM [Gulf of Mexico], which is currently approximately 10 bcf/day.”

 

In yesterday’s report on Gulf gas output, MMS had reported 80% of capacity shut-in.  The level of shut-in capacity had been rising steadily since the middle of last week as producers in the Gulf began to evacuate production platforms and rigs in anticipation of Hurricane Rita.

 

The 80% of natgas shut-ins reached yesterday marked the high-point, and today’s figures indicate the beginning of recovery, according to MMS.

 

MMS spokesman Gary Strasburg said: “I think you’re seeing natgas is beginning to come back up” in the storm-ravage Gulf region.

 

But MMS also noted that oil production in the Gulf, usually at 1.5m bbls/day, remains completely shut in.  Gulf oil output has been at 100% shut-in for three days.

By: Joe Kamalick
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