NEWS RELEASE: Wyoming Geological Survey Releases Yearly Summary Reports

 

 WSGS Publishes Summary Reports on State's Energy Industry 

Two new Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) annual summary reports highlight Wyoming’s energy industry during the last couple of years. The reports give a brief overview of the state’s recent oil, natural gas, and coal production, and the factors that have affected that production.

The oil and natural gas summary report details the contribution of each major Wyoming basin—Bighorn, Denver, Greater Green River, Powder River, and Wind River—to the state’s total production. In 2018, the most recent year with complete data, the Greater Green River Basin and Powder River Basin were once again Wyoming’s top gas-producing basin and top oil-producing basin, respectively, and the Denver Basin further increased its contribution to state total oil production. Statewide production values for 2019, based on data from January through August 2019 and forecasts through the end of 2019, show decreased gas production and increased oil production compared to 2018.  

The report also reviews changes in the industry, including large oil and gas development projects, pipelines, and drilling trends in the state.

The coal summary report focuses on challenges faced by the state’s coal industry in 2019, including company bankruptcies and changes in the electricity generating market, such as coal-fired power plant retirements. These factors have affected Wyoming’s coal production and employment numbers, and will likely continue to do so.

Despite the steady decline in production over the last few years, Wyoming remains the top coal-producing state in the nation, producing about 40 percent of the country’s total in 2018 and 2019.   

“These short reports are yearly snapshots of Wyoming’s oil, gas, and coal industries,” says WSGS Director, Dr. Erin Campbell. “These industries can experience large changes from year to year, and the summary reports should help Wyoming residents to understand and follow changes that can greatly affect Wyoming’s economy.”

More in-depth information on Wyoming’s oil, natural gas, and coal resources is available through the WSGS website on Wyoming’s Energy Resources or by contacting the WSGS directly.

 

Caption: Map showing percentage of 2018 total statewide production for oil (black) and natural gas (red) for each of the major energy basins in Wyoming. 

Caption: Quarterly production of coal in Wyoming between 2017 and third quarter 2019. Forth quarter 2019 data not available.