Market Highlights:
Natural gas storage
Net injections into storage totaled 85 Bcf for the week ending October 2, compared with the five-year (2021–2025) average net injections of 96 Bcf and last year’s net injections of 77 Bcf during the same week. Working natural gas stocks totaled 3,500 Bcf as of Friday, October 2, 2026, according to EIA estimates. Stocks were 68 Bcf (2%) more than the five-year average and 130 Bcf (4%) lower than last year at this time. The average rate of injections into storage is the same as the five-year average so far in the refill season (April through October). If the rate of injections into storage matched the five-year average of 11.1 Bcf/d for the remainder of the refill season, the total inventory would be 3,821 Bcf on October 31, which is 68 Bcf higher than the five-year average of 3,753 Bcf for that time of year.
Natural gas prices
The Henry Hub natural gas spot price rose $0.14/MMBtu from $3.02/MMBtu last Wednesday to $3.16/MMBtu yesterday, after dipping to a low of $2.91/MMBtu last Friday. October’s month-to-date average of $3.01/MMBtu is down $0.19/MMBtu from last October. Warmer-th an-normal temperatures nationwide drove cooling demand this week. According to S&P Global Energy, total U.S. natural gas demand rose 0.9 Bcf/d (1%), driven by power sector demand (up 1.3 Bcf/d, or 4%) and residential/commercial demand (up 0.9 Bcf/d, or 9%). These increases were partially offset by declines in net pipeline exports to Mexico (down 0.7 Bcf/d, or 9%) and LNG feedgas deliveries (down 0.8 Bcf/d, or 4%). Total natural gas supply rose 0.5 Bcf/d (less than 1%) this week, according to S&P Global Energy. A 0.9 Bcf/d (1%) increase in dry gas production outweighed a 0.4 Bcf/d (7%) decrease in net imports from Canada.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
For the week ending October 7: The LNG-carrying capacity of vessels departing U.S. ports was 119 Bcf, down 23 Bcf from the previous week. Thirty-one LNG vessels left U.S. ports, down six vessels from the previous week. Eight vessels departed from Sabine Pass; six each from Corpus Christi and Plaquemines; three each from Calcasieu Pass, Cameron, and Freeport; and one each from Elba Island and Golden Pass.