BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 5. North American natural gas output continued to rise in mid-2025, supported by strong production gains in the United States and Canada, according to the latest Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) outlook, Trend reports.
In June, regional production reached 108.8 billion cubic meters (bcm), up 3.4% year-on-year, while cumulative output for the first half of the year stood at 655.8 bcm, a 2.2% increase.
In July, US gas production maintained its growth trajectory, rising 2.5% year-on-year to 93.4 bcm. GECF attributed the expansion to favourable market dynamics, including higher Henry Hub prices and growing LNG exports.
The Haynesville basin recorded the strongest annual growth among producing regions, with output up 9.7%, followed by the Permian, which posted a 5.4% rise. Shale dry gas remained the dominant source, accounting for 81% of US production, while associated gas from shale oil contributed around a quarter of the total supply.
Regionally, the Appalachian basin led US production with 31.1% of total output, followed by the Permian at 23.4% and Haynesville at 13.6%. Between January and July, cumulative US gas production rose 2.7% to a record 637 bcm, 16 bcm higher than the same period in 2024.
Operational indicators also reflected robust activity. The number of active gas drilling rigs in the US reached 114 in July, two more than in June, with the Permian basin accounting for nearly half of the total. The number of drilled but uncompleted (DUC) wells fell to 5,238, down by 55 month-on-month and 457 from a year earlier, as higher gas prices encouraged producers to bring more wells into production.
