Other Areas
Figures for Texas (10, 11, 12), the Gulf of Mexico OCS (13, 14, 15), and the Lower-48 excluding Texas and the Gulf of Mexico OCS (7, 8, 9) follow.
- Texas and the Gulf of Mexico OCS are the largest supply areas.
- Texas and the Gulf of Mexico OCS produce roughly 13 and 14 billion cubic feet per day respectively. Together they produce about half of Lower-48 production.
The Gulf of Mexico OCS is projected to have surplus effective productive capacity of about 2.4 billion cubic feet per day at the end of 2001, or about 55 percent of the Lower-48 total surplus effective productive capacity (Figure 13).
- The Gulf of Mexico OCS historically has been the area that can rapidly increase production when required.
- Gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico OCS average about 7 times higher initial flow rates than onshore wells.
Texas reached 100 percent effective productive capacity utilization in 1999 due to an oil price driven decline in drilling (Figure 10). The effective productive capacity began increasing in 2000 and Texas is projected to have surplus capacity of about 0.8 billion cubic feet per day at the end of 2001, or about 17 percent of the Lower-48 total surplus.
However, Texas will still be above 90 percent effective capacity utilization in December 2001 as will the Lower-48 States.