What EIA Reported For May 2026
EIA reports preliminary May dry natural gas production of 3,418 Bcf, or 110.3 Bcf/d. That was 3.5% above May 2025 and the highest May daily rate in EIA's series beginning in 1973.
Total consumption averaged 75.8 Bcf/d, up 1.9% year over year. The sector mix matters: commercial deliveries fell 1.6% from May 2025, while electric-power deliveries rose 3.3% and industrial deliveries rose 0.9%. Total exports reached 26.4 Bcf/d, including 16.2 Bcf/d of LNG exports.
| Metric | May 2026 | Year Over Year | Vs. April | Buyer Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. dry natural gas production | 3,418 Bcf / 110.3 Bcf/d | +3.5% | -0.6 Bcf/d (-0.5%) | EIA called this the highest May daily rate in its series beginning in 1973. |
| Total U.S. consumption | 2,351 Bcf / 75.8 Bcf/d | +1.9% | Seasonal mix changed | The highest May daily rate since 2001 was led by electric-power demand rather than uniform growth across every customer class. |
| Commercial deliveries | 188 Bcf / 6.1 Bcf/d | -1.6% | -1.9 Bcf/d (-23.8%) | The April-to-May decline is consistent with a seasonal drop in building-heating demand and does not describe electricity-sector gas use. |
| Industrial deliveries | 697 Bcf / 22.5 Bcf/d | +0.9% | -0.8 Bcf/d (-3.4%) | May industrial deliveries were the highest for the month in EIA data beginning in 2001. |
| Electric-power deliveries | 1,004 Bcf / 32.4 Bcf/d | +3.3% | +2.5 Bcf/d (+8.4%) | May power burn was the second-highest May reading in EIA data beginning in 2001. |
| LNG exports | 16.2 Bcf/d | +15.6% | -1.7 Bcf/d (-9.5%) | May set a monthly record for the month even though the daily rate eased from April. |
| Total / net natural gas exports | 26.4 / 19.1 Bcf/d | +11.0% total exports | Net exports -0.6 Bcf/d (-3.0%) | EIA reported the highest May daily rates in its trade series; the national result is not a regional basis or delivered-rate quote. |
Calculation note: April-to-May values use the daily rates EIA reports for each month. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place; “seasonal mix changed” is used where a single prior-month total is not presented in this article.
Why Power Burn Rose While Commercial Deliveries Fell
The monthly transition separates two different gas-demand stories. Commercial building-heating deliveries fell from 8.0 Bcf/d in April to 6.1 Bcf/d in May. Electric-power deliveries moved the other way, from 29.9 Bcf/d to 32.4 Bcf/d, as the power sector entered the warmer-season cooling ramp.
For gas-indexed electricity buyers in PJM, ERCOT, ISO-NE, MISO, CAISO, NYISO, and SPP, the relevant question is how stronger power burn interacts with production, storage, LNG feedgas, and regional basis. The national monthly figure does not settle a regional procurement decision.
Commercial Buyer Actions
- Separate actuals from forecasts: Natural Gas Monthly reports May history; the July STEO forecasts future Henry Hub prices, production, consumption, and LNG exports.
- Update gas-to-power stress tests: compare the 2.5 Bcf/d April-to-May power-burn increase with your ISO's heat, outage, capacity, and congestion exposure.
- Pair national supply with regional basis: 110.3 Bcf/d of production is useful context, but pipeline constraints and delivery points can still dominate a facility's price.
- Check export assumptions: May LNG exports were a record for May but lower than April. Ask suppliers which export and basis assumptions are embedded in fixed or index offers.
- Keep weekly storage current: monthly production and demand become more decision-useful when checked against the latest injection path and regional inventory.
What Not To Infer
- Record-for-May production does not guarantee lower delivered commercial natural gas or electricity rates.
- Record-for-May LNG exports do not mean every buyer faces the same regional basis risk.
- National EIA actuals should not be converted into a supplier quote without account-level usage, utility tariff, load shape, delivery point, and contract terms.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration Natural Gas Monthly, July 2026 issue with May 2026 preliminary data; EIA natural gas data browser and API; EIA July 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook; EIA Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. Reviewed August 2, 2026.