⁍ U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said on Wednesday he does not expect U.S. oil production to return soon to pre-pandemic levels.

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⁍ U.S. crude production is currently around 11 million bpd and Brouillette said he expected it to increase slightly next year.

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⁍ ‘I don’t see a return to 13 million barrels a day in the very near future,’ Brouillette said.

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– US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said on Wednesday he does not expect US oil production to return soon to pre-pandemic levels as demand remains weak, Reuters reports. US oil output reached around 13 million barrels per day in February before the coronavirus pandemic hit fuel demand. “We simply don’t have the demand for production yet,” Brouillette said. “We are still working through inventories that have built up during this pandemic.” US crude production is currently around 11 million bpd and Brouillette said he expected it to increase slightly next year. The Energy Information Administration, the independent statistic arm of the Energy Department, said this month that US oil output should reach 11.2 million bpd in the fourth quarter of 2021. “I don’t see a return to 13 million barrels a day in the very near future,” Brouillette said.