Average number of televisions in U.S. homes declining

Results from the U.S Energy Information Administration’s most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that an average of 2.3 televisions were used in American homes in 2015, down from an average of 2.6 televisions per household in 2009. More »

U.S. electric generating capacity increase in 2016 was largest net change since 2011

More than 27 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generating capacity was added to the U.S. power grid during 2016, the largest amount of added capacity since 2012. These additions more than offset the retirement of roughly 12 GW of capacity, resulting in a net capacity gain of nearly 15 GW, the largest change since 2011. More »

U.S. crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq recently increased, but may decline soon

U.S. crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, two of the United States’ main sources for imported crude oil, have risen since reaching relatively low points in 2014 and 2015. On a combined basis, crude oil imports from these countries are the highest since late 2012. More »

China's use of methanol in liquid fuels has grown rapidly since 2000

China is the global leader in methanol use and has recently expanded methanol production capacity. Since the early 2000s, China’s methanol consumption in fuel products has risen sharply and is estimated to have been more than 500,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2016. More »

Liquefied natural gas exports expected to drive growth in U.S. natural gas trade

The United States is expected to become a net exporter of natural gas on an average annual basis by 2018, according to the recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2017 (AEO2017) Reference case. The transition to net exporter is driven by declining pipeline imports, growing pipeline exports, and increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). More »

U.S. crude oil production increases following higher drilling activity

U.S. crude oil production increased for the second consecutive month in November 2016, the first time this has occurred since early 2015. More »

Lower airline fuel costs reduce U.S. airlines’ operating expenses, increase net profits

Lower crude oil prices in recent years have translated to lower fuel costs and overall lower operating expenses for U.S. passenger airlines. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. passenger airlines’ collective net profit increased to $25.6 billion in 2015, up from $7.5 billion in 2014. More »

U.S. uranium production lowest since 2005

U.S. production of uranium concentrate (U3O8) totaled 2.9 million pounds in 2016, 13% lower than the uranium produced in 2015 and the lowest annual U.S. production since 2005. U.S. uranium concentrate production in 2016 was less than 7% of the historical peak production level of 43.7 million pounds in 1980. More »

EIA’s short-term global oil demand outlook considers the role of economic activity

Oil plays a crucial role in the global economy—from the production of goods to the transportation of people and freight. For this reason, economic activity and oil consumption tend to move together, particularly in developing economies. This relationship makes gross domestic product (GDP) an important driver of oil consumption. More »

Projected electricity generation mix is sensitive to policies, natural gas prices

The mix of fuels used to generate electricity in the United States has changed in response to differences in the expected cost of fuels and electricity-generating technology costs and their deployment. These factors, together with policies affecting emissions from power generation, will determine the generation fuel mix of the future. More »

Tight oil expected to make up most of U.S. oil production increase through 2040

EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2017 (AEO2017) Reference case projects that U.S. tight oil production will increase to more than 6 million barrels per day (b/d) in the coming decade, making up most of total U.S. oil production. After 2026, tight oil production remains relatively constant through 2040 in the Reference case as tight oil development moves into less productive areas and as well productivity decreases. More »

Argentina seeking increased natural gas production from shale resources to reduce imports

Despite its estimated 802 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of unproved, technically recoverable shale gas resources, Argentina’s dry natural gas production declined each year from 2006 to 2014, and the country has shifted from a net exporter of natural gas to a net importer. More »

U.S. energy trade with Mexico: U.S. export value more than twice import value in 2016

Energy trade between Mexico and the United States has historically been driven by Mexico's sales of crude oil to the United States and by U.S. net exports of refined petroleum products to Mexico. More »

U.S. coal production and coal-fired electricity generation expected to rise in near term

Coal production in the United States totaled 739 million short tons (MMst) in 2016, an 18% decline from 2015 and the lowest level of coal production since 1978. Because nearly all coal produced in the United States is used to generate electricity, coal production and coal-fired electricity generation are closely connected. More »

EIA's residential and commercial studies require significant data collection and analysis

EIA’s two studies of energy-related characteristics and energy consumption, the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) and Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), require years of preparation, data collection, analysis, modeling, and dissemination for each survey cycle. More »

The world’s largest nuclear plants differ by age, number of reactors, and utilization

There are currently 449 operating nuclear reactors in 31 countries, with a total installed generating capacity of more than 390,000 megawatts (MW), based on data from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear power plants differ in various ways including reactor types, vessel containments, cooling methods, and dispatch purposes. More »

Sulfur dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants have fallen faster than coal generation

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions produced in the generation of electricity at power plants in the United States declined by 73% from 2006 to 2015, a much larger reduction than the 32% decrease in coal-fired electricity generation over that period. More »

New EIA data series track shipments of hydrocarbon gas liquids by rail

Adding to its data series of rail movements of crude oil, ethanol, and biodiesel, EIA recently released data on rail movements of propane, propylene, normal butane, and isobutane. These four petroleum products make up the majority of hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) moved by rail. More »

Indian Point, closest nuclear plant to New York City, set to retire by 2021

In January 2017, Entergy Nuclear and the state of New York reached an agreement to retire the two nuclear reactors at the Indian Point Energy Center, located in Buchanan, New York, about 25 miles north of New York City. Indian Point is one of four nuclear power plants in New York state and accounts for about 12% of total electricity generated from all sources statewide. More »