European distillate oversupply means some shippers take the long route around Africa

In Europe, the combination of low winter heating demand, high refinery runs, and increased imports have kept distillate fuel oil inventories in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp (ARA) area far above normal. Higher inventories have lowered distillate futures prices in the ARA area to a point where inventories are being held in floating storage and imported cargos are being diverted to longer voyages. More »

Canadian oil production expected to increase despite lower prices

Despite lower crude oil prices, EIA expects Canadian oil production to continue increasing through 2017. Canadian oil sands projects that were already under construction when prices began to fall in 2014 and that are expected to begin production in the next two years are the main driver of production growth. More »

Rail continues to dominate coal shipments to the power sector

U.S. electric power generators consumed 740 million tons of coal in 2015, fueling about one-third of total electric power generation and accounting for 92% of all coal consumed in the United States. Nearly 70% of all coal used by power plants to generate electricity was shipped either completely or in part by rail. The rest was transported by waterway, truck, or—for power plants located near a coal mine—by conveyor. More »

Motor gasoline consumption expected to remain below 2007 peak despite increase in travel

Based on estimates in the most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), vehicle travel in the United States in 2015 was almost 4% above its 2007 level, but motor gasoline consumption has not exceeded its previous peak in 2007. Improvements in light-duty vehicle fuel economy are largely responsible for this outcome. More »

Pipelines, tankers, and barges convey transportation fuels from Gulf Coast to East Coast

In the United States, the East Coast and Gulf Coast are highly dependent on each other to balance supply and consumption of transportation fuels. East Coast transportation fuels consumption is met through a number of supply sources, but none is more important than supply from the Gulf Coast. Conversely, surplus supply in the Gulf Coast is distributed to a number of domestic and foreign markets, but none is larger than the East Coast. More »

For transportation fuels, the Gulf Coast produces, the East Coast consumes

Movement of transportation fuels between the U.S. Gulf Coast and East Coast regions represents the largest movement of such products in the United States. This relationship is underpinned by supply and demand imbalances in each region. The Gulf Coast is the largest petroleum refining region in the country, making nearly half of total U.S. refined products. More »

Oil production in federal Gulf of Mexico projected to reach record high in 2017

U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) crude oil production is estimated to increase to record high levels in 2017, even as oil prices remain low. EIA projects GOM production will average 1.63 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2016 and 1.79 million b/d in 2017, reaching 1.91 million b/d in December 2017. GOM production is expected to account for 18% and 21% of total forecast U.S. crude oil production in 2016 and 2017, respectively. More »

Diesel fuel retail price falls below $2.00 per gallon for first time since 2005

EIA's weekly survey of diesel prices shows that the U.S. average retail price for on-highway diesel fuel was $1.98 per gallon (gal) on February 15, falling below $2/gal for the first time since February 14, 2005. The U.S. average retail diesel price had last approached, but not gone below, the $2.00 mark in early 2009. Falling diesel prices reflect both decreasing crude oil prices and increasing inventories of crude oil and refined products. More »

Canada, Mexico, United States launch North American Cooperation on Energy Information site

The Energy Minister and Secretaries from Canada, Mexico, and the United States are launching a framework for sharing energy information for North America, hosted at www.nacei.org. The website can be displayed in English, French, and Spanish and has links to all three countries' energy statistical agencies More »

New EIA data revise Oklahoma's oil production up by 100,000 barrels per day

EIA's "Petroleum Supply Monthly", published on January 30, includes crude oil production estimates for Oklahoma based on EIA monthly survey data. The new estimates are roughly 100,000 barrels per day more than those generated by the previous EIA methodology, which was informed by state-reported data. More »

Initial production rates in tight oil formations continue to rise

Tight oil production in the United States increased from 2007 through April 2015, based on estimates in EIA's Drilling Productivity Report (DPR), and made up more than half of total U.S. oil production in 2015. Tight oil growth has been driven by increasing initial production rates from tight wells in regions analyzed in the DPR. As drilling techniques and technology improve, producers are able to extract more oil during the initial months of production from new wells. More »

U.S. mining and exploration investment declined 35% in 2015

Mining and exploration investment declined 35% in 2015, the second largest year-over-year decline since the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis began reporting the series in 1948. Most mining and exploration investment reflects petroleum exploration and development, but the category also includes natural gas, coal, and other minerals. More »

Natural gas use for power generation higher this winter

So far this winter, natural gas consumption in the electric power sector (gas burn) has been higher than in any previous winter. According to Bentek Energy, gas burn in the electric power sector has averaged 25.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) so far this winter (November 1 through February 8), up 17% from last year's average of 21.4 Bcf/d during the same period and significantly higher than the 18.8 Bcf/d average of the past five years. More »

Demand response saves electricity during times of high demand

Demand response in the electricity market involves the targeted reduction of electricity use during times of high demand. In response, customers receive incentives for these reductions. A recent Supreme Court ruling is expected to result in faster growth in demand response in the wholesale electricity markets that cover about 60% of U.S. power supply. More »

California has nearly half of the nation's solar electricity generating capacity

The United States has slightly more than 20,000 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, which includes utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal installations, as well as distributed generation solar PV systems, also known as rooftop solar. As of the end of November 2015, nearly half of the nation's solar capacity was located in California. More »

High inventories help push crude oil prices to lowest levels in 13 years

Several factors have played a part in pushing U.S. crude oil prices below $30 per barrel, including high inventory levels of crude oil, uncertainty about global economic growth, volatility in equity and nonenergy commodity markets, and the potential for additional crude oil supply to enter the market. Crude oil and petroleum product inventories, both domestically and internationally, have been growing since mid-2014 and are above five-year averages for this date. More »

Computer and technology use in education buildings continues to increase

Based on data collected in EIA's latest Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), the number of computers in education buildings across the United States is continuing to grow rapidly. On average, education buildings have nearly twice as many computers per million square feet as all commercial buildings. Among commercial building categories, only office buildings have more computers per square foot. More »

Electricity generation from renewable sources expected to grow 9% this year

Electricity generated from utility-scale renewable plants is expected to grow by 9% in 2016, based on projections in the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. Much of the growth comes from new installations of wind and solar plants and increases in hydroelectric generation after a relatively dry 2015. In 2016, electricity from utility-scale renewable sources is expected to account for 14% of the total electricity generated in the United States, with wind and solar contributing 5.2% and 0.8%, respectively. More »

Natural gas leak at California storage site raises environmental and reliability concerns

On October 23, 2015, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) detected a major leak at Aliso Canyon, an underground natural gas storage facility located 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Aliso Canyon storage facility, which has 115 wells, is the second-largest natural gas storage field in the western United States. More »