US EIA predicts natural gas demand will rise 1.7% in 2005

Washington (Platts)--7Apr2005

The US Energy Information Administration on Thursday said US gas demand will
rise by 1.7% in 2005, down from the 2.2% growth rate it predicted last month.

In its April Short-Term Energy Outlook, domestic gas production is projected
to increase this year by 0.7% compared with 2004, despite an expected 8% jump
in gas-directed drilling, the agency said. In March, EIA predicted US gas
production in 2005 would rise by 0.5%. The agency said gas demand in 2006 will
increase by 3.2%, unchanged from last month, largely because of weather and
continued strength in gas-intensive industrial production. The agency
estimated working gas in storage at 1.187 Tcf at the end of March, a level 12%
above the year-ago level and 14% above the five-year average.

This story was originally published in Platts Global Alert
http://www.globalalert.platts.com

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