NERC’s Summer Reliability Assessment highlights seasonal electric reliability issues

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) recent 2018 Summer Reliability Assessment finds that there are enough resources to meet this summer's projected peak electricity demand in in all areas of the country except the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Anticipated reserve margins—the amount of expected unused electric generating capacity at the time of peak load—range from a little less than 11% in ERCOT to about 33% in PJM Interconnection (PJM). More »

EIA study examines the role of high-voltage power lines in integrating renewables

A new study commissioned by EIA examines the role of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) lines in integrating renewables resources into the electric grid. The review indicates that, although applications in the current electric transmission network are limited, HVDC lines have a number of potential benefits including cost effectiveness, lower electricity losses, and the ability to handle overloads and prevent cascading failures. These attributes mean that HVDC lines could, if properly configured, help mitigate some operational issues associated with renewable generation. More »

EIA expects 2018 gasoline prices have peaked

U.S. regular-grade retail gasoline prices averaged $2.89 per gallon (gal) in June, down from a high of $2.96/gal on May 28. EIA estimates that gasoline prices will remain lower than the May 28 price for the rest of the summer, reaching $2.84/gal in September. Gasoline prices are often higher in summer months when gasoline demand is higher and when federal and state environmental regulations require the use of summer-grade gasoline, which is more expensive to manufacture. Following the summer, EIA expects gasoline prices to decline to $2.68/gal by December. More »

EIA now publishes petroleum export data by U.S. region of origin and destination country

Starting with the May 2018 release of the Petroleum Supply Monthly, EIA now publishes U.S. petroleum export data by region, defined as Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD), of origin and by country of destination. Before this change, users could only see the total amount exported from each U.S. PADD, but not the actual destination associated with those PADD-level exports. More »

U.S. hydrocarbon gas liquids consumption increases as prices, expenditures decrease

Consumption of hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) in the United States totaled 928 million barrels in 2016, up about 12% since 2010. During the same time, total U.S. HGL prices fell by 47% and, consequently, expenditures decreased by about 41%. In 2016, total U.S. HGL expenditures were $32 billion, the lowest since 2003. More »

Oil company additions to proved reserves in 2017 were the highest since 2013

In 2017, a group of the world’s largest publicly traded oil and natural gas producers added more hydrocarbons to their resource base than in any year since 2013, according to the annual reports of 83 exploration and production companies. Collectively, these companies added a net 8.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) to their proved reserves during 2017, which totaled 277 billion BOE at the end of the year. More »

EIA monthly survey tracks U.S. power plant additions

Every month, EIA collects information about all utility-scale power plants in the United States, including planned projects reported by developers. EIA relies on information reported by developers and plant owners to track electricity generating capacity, upcoming retirements, and planned new capacity on a monthly basis. More »

State efficiency incentives averaged $24 per customer, ranged from $0 to $128 in 2016

U.S. electric utilities reported spending $3.6 billion on energy efficiency customer incentives in 2016, or an average of $24 per customer, according to EIA’s survey of electric power sales, revenue, and energy efficiency. Energy efficiency spending is reported on an incremental basis, reflecting new programs operating for the first time in 2016 (including start-up costs) or new participants in existing programs. More »

Ethane production growth led to record U.S. natural gas plant liquids production in 2017

U.S. natural gas plant liquids (NGPL) production has nearly doubled since 2010, outpacing the rate of natural gas production growth and setting an annual record of 3.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2017. NGPLs are produced at natural gas processing plants, which separate liquids from raw natural gas to produce pipeline-quality dry natural gas. Marketed natural gas includes both NGPLs and dry natural gas. More »

Adoption of autonomous vehicles could increase U.S. transportation energy consumption

Autonomous vehicles are one of the main sources of uncertainty in the future of U.S. transportation energy consumption, as autonomous vehicle technology has the potential to change travel behavior, vehicle design, energy efficiency, and vehicle ownership. Analysis in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2018 (AEO2018) shows that the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could increase overall light-duty vehicle travel and, depending on how those vehicles are powered, lead to slightly higher transportation energy consumption. More »

EIA expects Brent crude prices will average $71 per barrel in 2018, $68 per barrel in 2019

In the June 2018 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts Brent crude oil prices will average $71 per barrel (b) in 2018 and $68/b in 2019. The updated 2019 forecast price is $2/b higher than in the May STEO. Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $77/b in May, an increase of $5/b from April and the highest monthly average price since November 2014. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices are forecast to average almost $7/b lower than Brent prices in 2018 and $6/b lower in 2019. More »

Development of Alaska’s ANWR would increase U.S. crude oil production after 2030

In December 2017, the passage of Public Law 115-97 required the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to establish and administer a competitive oil and natural gas program for the leasing, development, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas in and from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Previously, ANWR was effectively under a drilling moratorium. Three sensitivity cases in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2018 explore the effect of this law on U.S. crude oil production. More »

Rise in U.S. exports of jet fuel driven by Latin American and Caribbean countries

The United States exported 186,000 barrels per day (b/d) of jet fuel in 2017, the eleventh consecutive year of increasing gross jet fuel exports. Almost two-thirds (62%) of U.S. jet fuel exports went to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially Mexico. Relatively high domestic production and a growing international aviation industry have established the United States as a net exporter of jet fuel for the seventh straight year More »

Power marketers are increasing their share of U.S. retail electricity sales

Competitive power marketers supplied about 21% of the retail electricity sold in the United States in 2016, up from 11% in 2005. The share of retail electricity sales of regulated investor-owned utilities fell from 62% in 2005 to 52% in 2016. This shift was driven by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which repealed the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and closed the original federal regulatory structure established by New Deal-era legislation, which was a combination of public financial reforms and regulations in the 1930s More »

Global LNG trade continues to grow, especially from Australia and the United States

Global trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached 38.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, a 10% (3.5 Bcf/d) increase from 2016 and the largest annual volume increase on record, according to the Annual Report on LNG trade by the International Association of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL). In 2017, there were 19 LNG exporting countries and 40 LNG importing countries. Australia and the United States were among the countries with the largest increases (2.7 Bcf/d combined) in 2017 LNG exports. More »

Southern California's natural gas infrastructure may face constraints this summer

Regional natural gas infrastructure issues in Southern California could affect electricity reliability this summer, according to separate studies recently released by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and the Aliso Canyon Technical Assessment Group. Depending on natural gas infrastructure changes and storage operations this summer, these issues could also have implications for the upcoming winter. More »

U.S. households with more vehicles travel more but use additional vehicles less

Households in the United States with more vehicles not only travel more, but they often put more miles on their most-used (primary) vehicle compared with households with fewer vehicles, according to the Federal Highway Administration's National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Households with just one vehicle drove an average of about 11,100 miles per year, while households with more than five vehicles traveled a total of about 41,800 miles; each additional vehicle within a household had less average use. About two-thirds of households have either one or two vehicles. More »

Distillate fuel oil was the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017

Distillate fuel continued to be the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017, averaging 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) of gross exports. U.S. distillate exports went to 79 different destinations in 2017, particularly to markets in Central America, South America, and Europe. The proximity of U.S. Gulf Coast refineries to Mexico and to Central and South America combined with high demand in these regions led to higher U.S. distillate exports to these locations. More »

EIA's residential energy survey now includes estimates for more than 20 new end uses

Results from the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) introduced estimates of energy consumption for an expanded list of energy end uses. For electricity, the number of end uses estimated has expanded from 4 to 26 by adding estimates for equipment such as dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, televisions, and lighting. More »

EIA reports track U.S. crude oil production statistics and trends

With increasing crude oil prices and rig counts over the past several months, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) continues to closely monitor U.S. crude oil production trends. EIA publishes several reports that cover current crude oil production conditions and how recent trends may affect the near-term outlook for the oil industry. More »

Costs of different battery storage technologies depend on technical characteristics

Capital costs for large-scale battery storage systems installed across the United States differ depending on technical characteristics. Systems are generally designed to provide either greater power capacity (a battery’s maximum instantaneous power output) or greater energy capacity (the total amount of electricity that can be stored or discharged by a battery system). More »