For the past three years, underground natural gas storage capacity in the Lower 48 states has changed by relatively small increments compared to changes in 2012-2013. However, design capacity has increased slightly since 2015, growing 0.7 percent from 4,658 Bcf to 4,688 Bcf. This increase resulted from a combination of expansions at existing facilities, reclassifications from base gas to working gas and the restoration of an inactive facility to service.
Demonstrated maximum working gas volume also grew by 0.7 percent, from 4,342 Bcf to 4,373 Bcf. Demonstrated maximums can be affected by short-term circumstances. For example, the 2016 injection season started with very high levels largely because of the mild winter of 2015-16. These injections led to alltime high storage levels, and many storage facilities reached new demonstrated maximums in 2016 as a result.
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