U.S. oil production rises in September as Texas recovers from hurricane

HOUSTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. oil production increased nearly 300,000 barrels per day in September, reaching the highest level since its most recent peak in April 2015, a local newspaper quoted the U.S. Energy Department said Thursday.

According to the release by the department, U.S. energy companies pumped 9.48 million barrels of oil per day in September, up 3.2 percent compared to the 9.19 million barrels per day produced in August.

Drillers in Texas, rebounding from the crippling effects of Hurricane Harvey that landed at the end of August, boosted output in September to 3.57 million barrels per day, up 5.7 percent from 3.38 million barrels per day the month before.

U.S. output crested at 9.62 million barrels per day in April 2015, its highest level in four decades, after American drillers tapped into once-inaccessible shale rocks containing vast amounts of shale oil and natural gas. After oil prices crashed, production fell as low as 8.55 million barrels per day in September 2016.

A survey conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve in early September said Hurricane Harvey has caused "broad disruptions" to economic activity in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.

"A fifth of the oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was offline, and many onshore producers in the Eagle Ford region temporarily stopped production," said the survey, based on information collected by the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks.

Harvey also affected fuel and petrochemical production, "forcing 15 refineries in the region to shut down temporarily" and several others to operate at reduced capacity, which led to "gasoline shortages" in some areas. Enditem