U.S. retail gasoline prices heading into Labor Day weekend are highest in four years

The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline on August 27, 2018, was $2.83 per gallon (gal), the highest price on the Monday before Labor Day since 2014, when it was $3.45/gal. The 2018 price is 43 cents/gal higher than the same time last year. A higher North Sea Brent crude oil price—$18 per barrel (b) higher than the price heading into Labor Day weekend last year and its highest level for this time of year since 2014—is the main driver of the increase in the gasoline price. More »

Shipments to gas stations before certain holidays affect gasoline product supplied

U.S. holiday weekends associated with increased driving, such as Labor Day and Memorial Day, often result in large swings or changes in gasoline product supplied. EIA uses product supplied as a proxy for U.S. gasoline consumption. Some of the largest weekly decreases in gasoline product supplied often occur during the weeks of these holidays, reflecting the timing of shipments to retail gasoline stations. More »

Appalachia, Permian, Haynesville drive U.S. natural gas production growth

Gross production of natural gas in the United States has generally been increasing for more than a decade and in recent months has been more than 10% higher compared with the same months in 2017. This growth has been driven by production in the Appalachian Basin in the Northeast, the Permian Basin in western Texas and New Mexico, and the Haynesville Shale in Texas and Louisiana. These three regions collectively accounted for less than 15% of total U.S. natural gas production as recently as in 2007, but now they account for nearly 50% of total production. More »

More than 30% of global maritime crude oil trade moves through the South China Sea

The South China Sea is a major trade route for crude oil, and in 2016, more than 30% of global maritime crude oil trade, or about 15 million barrels per day (b/d), passed through the South China Sea. More »

Hurricane Lane approaches Hawaii, threatens energy infrastructure

Hurricane Lane, a Category 3 hurricane, is currently on track to pass just to the south and west of Hawaii, bringing torrential rainfall and high winds to the islands. If Hurricane Lane makes landfall, it would be the first major hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii in 26 years. To help promote understanding of potential energy-related storm effects, EIA maintains an energy disruptions map that displays energy infrastructure and real-time storm information. More »

Permian region is expected to drive U.S. crude oil production growth through 2019

EIA’s August Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) forecasts that U.S. crude oil production will average 10.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018 and 11.7 million b/d in 2019. If realized, both of these forecast levels would surpass the previous record of 9.6 million b/d set in 1970. This national increase is almost entirely driven by tight oil. In particular, the Permian region in western Texas and eastern New Mexico is expected to account for more than half of the growth in crude oil production through 2019. More »

U.S. natural gas pipeline exports increase with commissioning of new pipelines in Mexico

U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have been increasing following expansions of cross-border pipeline capacity. These exports averaged 4.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017 and 4.4 Bcf/d through the first five months of 2018. Based on data compiled by Genscape, natural gas exports to Mexico by pipeline exceeded 5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for the first time in July 2018, after the commissioning of several key pipelines in Mexico. By the end of 2018, an additional four of six major pipelines identified as strategic in Mexico’s five-year natural gas infrastructure expansion plan are scheduled to begin commercial operations. More »

U.S. households are holding on to their vehicles longer

The turnover of household vehicles has slowed since 2009, based on U.S. Department of Transportation surveys of household vehicle travel. The 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) reported that households held on to their cars, trucks, and vans longer. The average vehicle age has increased from 9.3 years in 2009 to 10.5 years in 2017, suggesting that many households have delayed the purchase of a new vehicle and continuing a trend of U.S. households operating vehicles longer More »

The port district of Houston-Galveston became a net exporter of crude oil in April

The U.S. port district of Houston-Galveston in Texas recently began exporting more crude oil than it imported for the first time on record. Crude oil exports from the Houston-Galveston port district have increased since the restrictions on U.S. crude oil exports were lifted at the end of 2015. In April 2018, crude oil exports from Houston-Galveston surpassed crude oil imports by 15,000 barrels per day (b/d). In May 2018, the difference between crude oil exports and imports increased substantially to 470,000 b/d. More »

Electric power sector coal inventories are expected to remain relatively low through 2019

In May 2018, coal inventories, or stockpiles, in the electric power sector totaled 128 million short tons (MMst), 34 MMst (21%) lower than in May 2017, and the lowest at that time of year since 2014. Stockpiles have averaged 35 MMst (22%) lower during the first five months of 2018 compared with 2017. More »

PURPA-qualifying capacity increases, but it's still a small portion of added renewables

Between 2008 and 2017, more than 103 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generating capacity entered service in the United States, of which only 14 GW is certified to have qualifying facility small power producer status under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). Utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants—those that have a capacity of one megawatt (MW) and higher—account for more than 8 GW of the added qualifying capacity, followed by onshore wind at 4 GW. During the past decade, PURPA-qualifying facilities have accounted for 31% of solar PV capacity, 5% of onshore wind capacity, and 6% of total electric generating capacity across all technologies in the United States. More »

Six states account for more than 70% of U.S. fuel ethanol production

Six states accounted for 72% of U.S. fuel ethanol production in 2016, according to the most recent estimates from EIA’s State Energy Data System. Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and South Dakota collectively produced 265 million barrels of fuel ethanol out of the U.S. total of 367 million barrels. All 6 states are among the top 10 U.S. producers of corn, the primary feedstock for ethanol plants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). More »

Offshore discoveries in the Mediterranean could increase Egypt’s natural gas production

Natural gas production in Egypt has been in decline, falling from a 2009 peak of 5.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to 3.9 Bcf/d in 2016, based on estimates in BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy. The startup of a number of natural gas development projects located offshore in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Egypt’s northern coast has significantly altered the outlook for the region’s natural gas markets. Production from these projects could offset the growing need for natural gas imports to meet domestic demand, according to the Egyptian government. More »

U.S. refineries running at near-record highs

For the week ending July 6, 2018, the four-week average of U.S. gross refinery inputs surpassed 18 million barrels per day (b/d) for the first time on record. U.S. refineries are running at record levels in response to robust domestic and international demand for motor gasoline and distillate fuel oil. More »

Natural gas pipeline capacity to South Central region and export markets increase in 2018

By the end of 2018, EIA expects natural gas pipeline capacity into the South Central region of the United States to reach almost 19 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). The region has shifted from being a source of natural gas supply to a source of growing demand, reversing the historical flows of natural gas in the Lower 48 states. Natural gas pipeline projects scheduled to come online in 2018 will bring additional supply to the Gulf Coast and support growing export markets. More »

Higher economic growth in Africa could lead to more energy use, especially in industry

Africa, with its wealth of natural resources and fast-growing population, may have a significant impact on international energy markets over the next 25 years. The International Energy Outlook 2018 (IEO2018) analyzed uncertainty associated with future energy demand growth in Africa by examining a sensitivity case in which a faster rate of economic growth in Africa—compared with the IEO2018 Reference case—results in greater energy consumption and a larger manufacturing sector through 2040. More »

Average U.S. construction costs for solar and wind continued to fall in 2016

Based on 2016 EIA data for newly constructed utility-scale electric generators (those with a capacity greater than one megawatt) in the United States, annual capacity-weighted average construction costs for solar photovoltaic systems and onshore wind turbines declined, while construction costs for natural gas generators increased slightly. These three technologies accounted for about 93% of total electric generating capacity added in 2016. Across the United States, investment in electric generating capacity in 2016 increased more than 50% from 2015. More »

India’s future energy use depends on its rate of economic growth

India’s economic development is likely to have a considerable impact on future international energy markets—including U.S. energy exports—because of the country’s large population and potential for growth. India is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the next 30 years, yet how that growth will occur remains uncertain. More »

EIA electricity sales data for Puerto Rico show rate of recovery since hurricanes

New EIA data series indicate that total electricity sales in Puerto Rico have returned to pre-Hurricane Maria levels as of April and May 2018 after the longest blackout in U.S. history. However, residential electricity sales appear to continue to lag historical levels, reflecting some continued outages. More »

U.S. coal shipments reach their lowest levels in years

The 661 million short tons (MMst) of coal consumed in the electric power sector in 2017 was the lowest amount of coal consumed since 1983, and 2017 was the fourth consecutive year that U.S. coal consumption and coal shipments by all transport modes declined. Nearly 70% of the coal consumed in the power sector in 2017 was shipped either completely or in part by rail, with the remainder shipped by river barge, truck, and other methods. More »

Summer natural gas price spreads between Henry Hub and Appalachian region have narrowed

Over the past decade, natural gas production in the Appalachian region has grown faster than capacity to move the gas into U.S. markets, pushing down local prices. More recently, pipeline infrastructure from Appalachia has increased capacity to deliver Appalachian natural gas to regional market, increasing relative spot prices at Appalachian hubs, and narrowing their price spreads relative to the U.S. natural gas price benchmark Henry Hub in Louisiana. More »