Tighter marine fuel sulfur limits will spark changes by both refiners and vessel operators

The sulfur content of transportation fuels has been declining for many years as a result of increasingly stringent regulations. New international regulations limiting sulfur in fuels for ocean-going vessels, set to take effect in 2020, have further implications for both refiners and vessel operators at a time of high uncertainty in future crude oil prices, which will be a major factor in their decisions More »

U.S. natural gas exports to Mexico continue to grow

U.S. pipeline exports of natural gas continued to grow in 2016, and they have doubled since 2009. Almost all of this growth is attributable to increasing exports to Mexico, which have accounted for more than half of all U.S. natural gas exports since April 2015. In August, the United States exported 4.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas to Mexico via pipelines. More »

Three turbine manufacturers provide more than 75% of U.S. wind capacity

EIA recently started collecting data on wind turbine manufacturers, turbine models, and other wind plant attributes in the Annual Electric Generator Report. As of the end of 2015, just three manufacturers—General Electric (GE), Vestas, and Siemens—accounted for 55 gigawatts (GW), or 76%, of installed wind generating capacity in the United States. More »

U.S. average gasoline prices this Thanksgiving are the second-lowest in eight years

Heading into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, U.S. retail regular-grade gasoline averaged $2.16 per gallon (g), up just six cents per gallon from the same time last year. This is the second-lowest gasoline price since 2008, when the national regular gasoline price averaged $1.89/g on the Monday prior to Thanksgiving. More »

New infrastructure aims to increase takeaway capacity of natural gas from Utica region

A number of pipeline projects that have been approved, or are in various stages of the approval process, would increase capacity to transport natural gas from the Utica production region in Ohio to natural gas markets. Collectively, these projects could add up to 6.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of takeaway capacity out of the Utica region by the end of 2018. More »

EIA creates winter version of its daily energy dashboard for Southern California

EIA has updated its Southern California Daily Energy Report to provide additional information on key energy market indicators for the winter season. The dashboard includes information that EIA regularly compiles about energy operations and the management of natural gas and electricity systems in Southern California in the aftermath of a leak at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility outside of Los Angeles. More »

Coal may surpass natural gas as most common electricity generation fuel this winter

After declining for several months, the share of U.S. electricity fueled by coal is expected to slowly begin growing when compared to the same period last year. In contrast, the share of generation from natural gas is expected to experience year-over-year declines. More »

Residential heating oil and propane prices at levels similar to last winter's low prices

Residential heating oil and propane prices have started the winter heating season at levels similar to last winter’s levels, while inventories of both fuels are near or above five-year highs for this time of year. On average, prices for residential heating oil and propane during last winter (October 2015 through March 2016) were the lowest in at least a decade. More »

Amount of natural gas in storage reaches new record

Working natural gas in storage reached a record high of 4,017 billion cubic feet (Bcf) as of November 4, according to EIA’s latest Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. Inventories have been relatively high throughout the year, surpassing previous five-year highs in 48 of the past 52 weeks. More »

U.S. oil drilling increasingly focused in Permian Basin

U.S. drilling activity is increasingly concentrated in the Permian Basin, which spans parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The Permian now holds nearly as many active oil rigs as the rest of the United States combined, including both onshore and offshore rigs, and it is the only region in EIA’s Drilling Productivity Report where crude oil production is expected to increase for the third consecutive month. More »

Microchannel gas-to-liquid plants convert stranded natural gas to marketable products

The first microchannel gas-to-liquid (GTL) plant in the United States was completed in September. The new plant, built by ENVIA Energy, is located in Oklahoma and is expected to begin converting landfill gas into liquid petroleum products later this year. More »

In 2015, U.S. coal production, consumption, and employment fell by more than 10%

U.S. coal production dropped by more than 10% in 2015 to 897 million short tons (MMst), the lowest production level since 1986. Production in all three major coal-producing regions (the Appalachian, the Interior, and the Western) declined, as consumption of coal for electric power generation, industrial, and other uses fell by 13% to 798 MMst in 2015. More »

Declining investment in Norway affects exploration drilling more than production drilling

Total investment in oil and natural gas extraction in Norway was 21% lower in the first half of 2016 compared with the first half of 2015, a decline of about 20.9 billion Norwegian kroner (US $3.5 billion). However, investment cuts have affected some segments of the industry more than others. More »

Colonial Pipeline restarts Line 1, resumes gasoline shipments to U.S. Southeast

Following an outage that began on October 31, Colonial Pipeline's Line 1 resumed shipping gasoline early Sunday morning. Line 1 carries gasoline from the Gulf Coast to as far east and north as North Carolina and is a key supply source for several states in between and beyond. More »

U.S. crude oil production in 2015 was the highest since 1972

U.S. field production of crude oil increased for the seventh consecutive year, reaching 9.42 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2015. This was the highest crude oil production level since 1972, based on final production numbers in EIA’s Petroleum Supply Annual. More »

Oil wells drilled horizontally are among the highest-producing wells

Oil wells drilled horizontally through hydrocarbon-bearing formations are often among the most prolific oil wells in the United States. Although modern horizontal drilling achieved commercial success in the 1980s, drilling techniques have improved, and in recent years, horizontal drilling has become more common. More »

Major gasoline pipeline in Southeast disrupted for second time in two months

On the afternoon of October 31, an explosion occurred on the Colonial Pipeline Line 1, which carries gasoline from the Gulf Coast to as far east and north as North Carolina and is a key supply source for several states in between and beyond. This is the second major disruption of Colonial Line 1 in less than two months. More »

U.S. summer gasoline consumption sets new high

The consumption of U.S. finished motor gasoline reached a new high of 9.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in June 2016, surpassing the previous one-month high of 9.6 million b/d set in July 2007. U.S. gasoline consumption during summer 2016 (June through August) increased by 169,000 b/d, or 1.8%, relative to the same period in 2015. The increase in gasoline consumption was slightly lower than the increase in driving, suggesting that fuel economy improvements slightly mitigated the increase. More »

U.S. energy production, consumption has changed significantly since 1908

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians are set to host the Chicago Cubs in game six of the 2016 Major League Baseball World Series. In the 68 years since the last title for the Cleveland Indians, and the 108 years since the last World Series title for the Chicago Cubs, energy production and consumption patterns in the United States have changed a great deal. More »