Upcoming Super Bowl will be first to be lit with energy-efficient LED lights

Before the start of the 2014 NFL regular season, University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, home to Super Bowl XLIX, retrofitted 312 high-performance light-emitting diode (LED) stadium light fixtures. The LED fixtures replaced more than 780 metal halide high-intensity discharge (HID) fixtures and will illuminate the field during the Super Bowl on February 1. More »

Growing U.S. HGL production spurs petrochemical industry investment

Between 2014 and 2018, U.S. petrochemical capacity expansion projects are projected to increase domestic demand for ethane by nearly 600,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) and propane by nearly 200,000 bbl/d. This growing demand is in response to growing domestic hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) supply and favorable petrochemical feedstock prices in the United States relative to the international market. More »

Natural gas prices drop following strong production growth

Following a short-lived price increase in November, natural gas prices have dropped to their lowest levels since September 2012, reflecting strong domestic production and inventory builds More »

Hawaii’s electric system is changing with rooftop solar growth and new utility ownership

In December, NextEra Energy Inc. announced an agreement to acquire Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., owner of three electric utilities that together supply power to 95% of Hawaii's population. The Hawaiian Electric utilities' solar PV programs continue to evolve as the utilities handle ever-larger amounts of customer-sited solar capacity on their small and isolated island grids. More »

EIA updates Eagle Ford maps to provide greater geologic detail

Recent updates to EIA's maps and geologic information for the Eagle Ford tight oil and shale gas play in Texas help to characterize the formation's structure, thickness, and surface area, as well as the gas-to-oil ratio of its producing wells from January 2000 to June 2014. This information provides a better understanding of recent production within the context of key geologic parameters. More »

Lower 48 oil production outlook stable despite expected near-term reduction in rig count

The sharp decline in oil prices over the last quarter of 2014, which has continued in January, is already having a significant effect on drilling activity in the United States, as shown by the 16% decline in the number of active onshore drilling rigs in the Lower 48 states between the weeks ending on October 31, 2014 and January 23, 2015. More »

Currency depreciation against the dollar affects oil importers and exporters differently

Widely traded futures contracts for North Sea Brent crude oil in global financial markets are typically priced in U.S. dollars (USD). The appreciation, or increase in value, of USD against most other currencies since last summer can either mitigate or exacerbate the effects of the recent sharp decline in USD-denominated crude oil prices, depending on whether a particular country is a net importer or a net exporter of crude oil. More »

Northern Maine considers options to gain direct access to New England electric grid

Northern Maine is a unique power market: Unlike any other part of the Lower 48 states, this region is connected to one of the 3 main power grids serving the United States and Canada only via transmission lines that run through Canada. Currently, grid operators are considering transmission options to give northern Maine direct links to the rest of New England in an effort to enhance reliability and expand access to electricity markets. More »

NERC assessment examines winter power system reliability, fuel diversity

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) recently released 2014-15 Winter Reliability Assessment finds that all assessment areas have enough capacity resources to meet normal winter peak electricity demand. However, NERC highlights lower levels of reserves (spare capacity) in specific regions under an extreme winter scenario where the combination of demand increases and supply outages may stress electricity grids. More »

Regional differences in China's vehicle adoption reflect differences in income

Oil demand and imports in China have increased significantly as private passenger vehicle sales and use have increased. Sales of private passenger vehicles have grown by 29% annually over the past 13 years, which has increased gasoline consumption in China. China is currently the world's second-largest oil consumer, behind the United States. Increased sales have mainly been focused in China's wealthier, eastern provinces, where some provinces have now instituted policies to limit vehicle ownership. More »

Regional refinery trends evolve to accommodate increased domestic crude oil production

Recent rapid growth in U.S. production of light tight oil has raised interest in understanding how U.S. refineries, many of which are configured to process heavier crude oil, might accommodate increased volumes of domestic light crude. The U.S. refinery fleet, which is distributed across PADDs, varies both within and across regions in capacity, quality of crude oil inputs, utilization rates, and sources of crude supply. More »

Market expectations of oil price uncertainty have increased in recent months

December was the sixth consecutive month in which monthly average Brent crude oil prices decreased, falling $17/barrel (bbl) from November to a monthly average of $62/bbl, the lowest since May 2009. The December price decline, and its continuation into early January, reflects continued growth in U.S. tight oil production, strong global supply, and weakening outlooks for the global economy and oil demand growth. More »

Wholesale power prices increase across the country in 2014

Wholesale on-peak electricity prices were up at trading hubs across the nation between 2013 and 2014, driven largely by increases in spot natural gas prices and high energy demand caused by cold weather in the beginning of the year. More »

Presalt oil and natural gas provide an increasing share of Brazil's production

In 2013, Brazil produced 2.0 million bbl/d of crude oil and nearly one Tcf of gross natural gas. The share of this production from presalt resources found under thick layers of salt thousands of feet below the ocean's surface is small, but continues to increase. Crude oil production from the presalt layer was 15% of total production in 2013, up from 0.4% in 2008 when oil from the presalt was first produced. Similarly, Brazil's presalt natural gas production represents 14% of total production, up from 0.5% in 2008. More »

Spot steam coal prices in 2014 fell in east and rose in west

Eastern spot steam coal prices declined in 2014 compared to 2013 levels because of a decline in steam coal exports. The price declines were particularly pronounced in the second half of the year, as natural gas prices dropped below $4/MMBtu, making higher-priced eastern coals less price competitive as a fuel for generating electricity. More »

U.S. gasoline prices end 2014 at lowest levels since mid-May 2009

Across the country, retail prices for regular grade gasoline reached the lowest levels in four years due primarily to falling crude prices in the second half of 2014. As of December 12, the weekly retail price for regular gasoline in each city for which EIA collects data was below $3.00 per gallon (gal) for the first time since February 2010. More »

Energy had larger price declines than most nonenergy commodities in 2014

The first eight months of 2014 were much like 2013, as energy commodities remained in a relatively stable price range. During the last four months of 2014, however, crude oil and petroleum product prices fell dramatically, and ended the year with the largest price drops of all major commodities in the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI). More »