Affected by the epidemic, US natural gas production and demand will decline in 2020-21

The U.
S.
Energy Information Management Center (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) that U.
S.
natural gas production and demand will decline
in 2020 and 2021 from last year's record highs as the government takes steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus, reducing economic activity and energy prices.

EIA expects dry gas production to fall to 89.
24 bcfd by 2019 from an all-time high of 92.
21 bcfd in 2019 and 84.
23 bcfd
in 2021.

The EIA also expects natural gas consumption to decline from a record 84.
97 BCFD in 2019 to 82.
35 BCFD in 2020 and 78.
62 BCFD
in 2021.

This would be the first annual decline in consumption since 2017 and the second consecutive year of declines
since 2006.

EIA's July 2020 gas supply forecast is lower than its June forecast of 89.
65 bcfd, while its latest 2020 demand outlook is higher than its June forecast of 81.
87 bcfd
.

The agency forecasts that U.
S.
LNG exports will reach 5.
35 BCFD in 2020 and 7.
28 BCFD in 2021, up from a record 4.
98 BCFD in 2019 and below its June forecast of 5.
70 BCFD in 2020 and 7.
31 BCFD
in 2021.

Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to fall from 5.
130 billion tonnes in 2019, the lowest level since 1992, to 4.
507 billion tonnes in 2020, the lowest since 1983, and then to 4.
775 billion tonnes
in 2021 as coal use increases.