The price of U.S. natural gas futures remained steady on Friday due to increased flows to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, despite a decrease in daily production and lower expected demand for the current and following week. Gas futures for May delivery increased slightly to $3.93 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Analysts predict that lower demand will allow utilities to store more gas in the upcoming weeks, potentially marking the first increase in gas stockpiles during March since 2012. Although gas reserves have been depleted due to harsh winter weather earlier this year, they are still below normal levels. Meanwhile, mild weather and high hydropower generation in the U.S. West have caused power prices to turn negative at South Path 15 (SP-15) and fall to a record low. Gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states has slightly increased in March, while daily output is expected to decline in the short term. Weather forecasts indicate above-average temperatures in the Lower 48 states until mid-April. Furthermore, gas demand is predicted to decrease in the coming weeks, with exports to LNG plants on the rise due to the commissioning of new units at Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG facility in Louisiana.