(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. solidified its status as an energy producer by posting the first full month as a net exporter of crude and petroleum products since government records began in 1949.
The nation exported 89,000 barrels a day more than it imported in September, according to data from the Energy Information Administration Friday. While the U.S. has previously reported net exports on a weekly basis, today’s figures mark a key milestone that few would have predicted just a decade ago, before the onset of the shale boom.
In its Short-Term Energy Outlook earlier this month, the EIA flagged the turnaround and forecast total net exports of crude and products of 750,000 barrels a day in 2020, compared with average net imports of 520,000 barrels a day this year.
Analysts at Rystad Energy said this week the U.S. is only months away from achieving energy independence, citing surging oil and gas output as well as the growth of renewables. "Going forward, the United States will be energy independent on a monthly basis, and by 2030 total primary energy production will outpace primary energy demand by about 30%," said Sindre Knutsson, vice president of Rystad Energy's gas markets team. |