Pennsylvania’s shale gas wells yielded a record amount of natural gas during the first six months of 2014, producing about 1.9 trillion cubic feet, according to data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Compared to the last six months of 2013, production increased a bit more than 14 percent. And compared to the first six months of that year, production rose 38 percent.

David Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said production is on pace to top 4 trillion cubic feet by year’s end, despite a rig count that’s about half of what it was in 2012.

“The efficiencies have grown dramatically,” he said.

To put it in perspective, Spigelmyer said in 2008, unconventional wells were producing one-quarter of Pennsylvania’s gas supply. Now, they’re producing 20 percent of the national supply.

“That’s a pretty extraordinary feat, and we’re doing it with less disruption and with a lot of focus on making sure it gets done correctly,” he said.

Of the gas produced during the reporting period, most of it came from Susquehanna County, which yielded about 456 billion cubic feet.

In southwestern Pennsylvania, Washington County was the top producer, yielding 198 billion cubic feet. It was followed by Greene County, which generated 172 billion cubic feet.

All told, southwestern Pennsylvania counties produced about one-quarter of the state’s total.

Spigelmyer said he believes future growth could be constrained by a pipeline infrastructure that hasn’t yet caught up with the rapid growth.

However, he said the industry is in the midst of a five- to eight-year build out, that, when complete, should form the backbone of the supporting infrastructure needed to move the gas to consuming regions of the country.

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