The U.S. government said on Tuesday it expects domestic crude production in 2018 to rise over 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) more than previously expected as shale output surges. Shale production in the U.S. has increased rapidly with improvements in drilling techniques, spurred on by a recovery in international oil prices. Production has grown more quickly than expected by the most authoritative forecasting bodies in the global energy industry, making the U.S. a bigger oil producer than top OPEC supplier, Saudi Arabia. Monthly production shattered a 47-year output record in November, rising to 10.057 million bpd. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects U.S. crude output in the fourth quarter of 2018 to reach an average of 11.17 million bpd, up from the previous forecast a month ago […]