US natural gas storage inventories rose by 94 Bcf to a total of 3.393 Tcf for the week that ended Friday, the US Energy Information Administration reported Thursday.
The injection came in at the low end of a range from 94 Bcf to 98 Bcf that a consensus of analysts predicted.
The build was above the 86 Bcf reported a year ago, as well as the 70-Bcf five-year average, according to EIA data.
As a result, the 344 Bcf deficit to last year fell to 336 Bcf, while the 362-Bcf deficit to the five-year average of 3.731 Tcf fell to 338 Bcf.
The EIA reported a build of 47 Bcf in the East, boosting inventories to 1.872 Tcf, compared with 1.94 Tcf a year ago. The West saw an 8-Bcf build to 482 Bcf, compared with 548 Bcf last year. The Producing region saw a 39-Bcf injection to 1.039 Tcf, compared with 1.240 Tcf a year ago.
Inventories are now 142 Bcf below the five-year average of 2.014 Tcf in the East, 36 Bcf below the five-year average of 518 Bcf in the West, and 161 Bcf below the five-year average of 1.2 Tcf in the Producing region.
