U.S. crude oil output rises for the first time since 1991

The U.S. Energy Information Administration revealed on Thursday that the country’s crude oil production grew in 2009, largely because of boosting exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and North Dakota. The output rose for the first time since 1991 averaging 5.32 million barrels a day in 2009, up 7.4% from 4.95 million barrels a day in 2008, according to a report issued by the federal agency.

Drilling investments made by energy companies before prices stumbled in 2008 helped to increase production, the government said, citing the federal deepwater reserves in the Gulf of Mexico that have been known about for years but only recently increased production in considerable numbers, while exploration works at Bakken, a shale area in North Dakota, also contributed to the growth.