By Staff & news wires 14 April 2014 22:09 GMT
US oil production from shale plays is likely to rise by 65,000 barrels per day this month and a further 70,000 bpd in May, new federal data showed.
Total US shale oil production will rise to 4.2 million bpd by next month, up 3.3% from March and representing just under half of total US output, the US Energy Information Agency said on Monday.
The levels expected from shale are similar to total output figures from Canada or China, according to EIA data.
Growth in output from the Eagle Ford shale in Texas will outpace North Dakota's Bakken. The Texas play will increase by 32,000 bpd in April and 31,000 bpd in May to 1.38 million bpd, the EIA said in its monthly Drilling Productivity Report.
In the Bakken, output will rise by 18,000 bpd in April and 21,000 bpd in May to 1.06 million bpd, the agency said.
North Dakota said last week that it sees Bakken output hitting 1 million bpd perhaps as soon as last month. It was at about 950,000 bpd in February. Production in that state, however, has been limited by harsh winter weather.
Production from the prolific Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico is growing at a slower rate. It is expected to rise by 10,000 bpd in April and by 13,000 bpd in May to 1.45 million bpd.
Output from Niobrara in Colorado is expected to rise by 5000 bpd in each month to 311,000 bpd.
Gas production from the Marcellus shale formation, spread across several states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, is expected to rise by 290 million cubic feet per day in April and by 253 MMcfd in May to 14.7 billion cubic feet per day.
