Natural gas production in the US grew faster than anywhere else in the world last year as a rush of companies eager to capitalise on rising prices moved quickly to adopt new techniques for tapping resources once believed to be off-limits.

A report by PFC Energy, a consultancy, said natural gas production in the US grew by “an astonishing 4.3 per cent” last year, following a 2.3 per cent increase in 2006. Production data to the end of April this year show a growth rate of more than 10 per cent compared with the same period in 2007.