U.S. retail gasoline prices heading into Labor Day are lower than last year

The U.S. average retail price for all formulations of regular gasoline on August 26, 2019, was $2.57 per gallon (gal), 25 cents/gal (9%) lower than the price at the same time last year. This drop in the gasoline price is a result of lower North Sea Brent crude oil prices (a global benchmark for crude oil and the most relevant determinant of U.S. gasoline prices), less gasoline demand, and higher gasoline inventories. More »

EIA introduces redesigned Energy Explained resource

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) redesigned Energy Explained resource includes enhanced navigation features, a more user-friendly interface, interactive data visualizations, and more. More »

EIA updates its U.S. energy consumption by source and sector chart

Energy consumption in the United States reached a record high of more than 101 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2018, barely surpassing the previous high recorded in 2007 by less than 0.3%. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has redesigned its U.S. energy consumption by source and sector chart to separate the electric power sector from the four end-use sectors. The new chart shows electricity retail sales to each end-use sector and the amount of electrical system energy losses within the electric power sector from generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. More »

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. Most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the SUMED Pipeline pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. More »

Sixteen mines in the Powder River Basin produce 43% of U.S. coal

More than 40% of coal produced in the United States comes from 16 mines in the Powder River Basin (PRB), a mining region primarily located in northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana. Four companies collectively own more than half of those PRB mines, and those 10 mines produced 87% of the Basin's coal in 2018. Two of those companies, Cloud Peak and Blackjewel, filed bankruptcy this year. The two other companies, Peabody and Arch Coal, are proposing a joint venture that involves some of the PRB mines. More »

The United States tends to produce lighter crude oil and import heavier crude oil

In 2018, total U.S. crude oil production grew by 17%, led by increased production of relatively light, less dense crude oil. The increase in light crude oil production is largely the result of the growth in crude oil production from shale and tight rock formations, which are now more accessible because of improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. More »

EIA offers two approaches to compare renewable electricity generation with other sources

The share of electricity generation from noncombustible renewable energy sources—solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal—for power generation is increasing. To compare the energy consumption for electricity from noncombustible renewable sources with other energy sources, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) offers two approaches: the fossil fuel equivalence approach and the captured energy approach. The choice of approach may serve different analytical or statistical needs. More »

EIA launches redesigned Hourly Electric Grid Monitor with new data and functionality

Today, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) launches a beta release of its new Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, a redesigned and enhanced version of EIA’s existing U.S. Electric System Operating Data website. The Hourly Electric Grid Monitor incorporates two new data elements: hourly electricity generation by energy source and hourly subregional demand for certain balancing authorities in the Lower 48 states. The new website also provides new and more flexible options for visualizing the data and allows users to create custom dashboards that can be saved and shared. More »

The U.S. leads global petroleum and natural gas production with record growth in 2018

U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and by 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record. The United States surpassed Russia in 2011 to become the world's largest producer of natural gas and surpassed Saudi Arabia in 2018 to become the world's largest producer of petroleum. Last year’s increase in the United States was one of the largest absolute petroleum and natural gas production increases from a single country in history. More »

Natural gas deliveries to U.S. LNG export facilities set a record in July

Natural gas deliveries to U.S. facilities producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export set a monthly record in July 2019, averaging 6.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d)—7% of the total U.S. dry natural gas production—according to data from OPIS PointLogic Energy. In the first seven months of 2019, natural gas feedstock deliveries to LNG export facilities have been the fastest growing among all U.S. natural gas consumption sectors. More »

Annual U.S. refinery runs expected to decline for first time in 10 years

U.S. gross inputs to refineries, also known as refinery runs, have increased each year since 2009, most recently reaching a record high of 17.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018. However, based on its monthly refinery run data through May and forecast for the remainder of 2019, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects refinery runs to decline and average 17.0 million b/d in 2019. More »

Investor-owned utilities served 72% of U.S. electricity customers in 2017

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) electric power sector survey data, almost 3,000 electric distribution companies—or utilities—were operating in the United States in 2017. EIA classifies utilities into three ownership types: investor-owned utilities, publicly run or managed utilities, and cooperatives. Although there are fewer investor-owned utilities than the other two types of utilities, they tend to be very large. Investor-owned utilities serve three out of every four utility customers nationwide. More »

State-level average annual gasoline expenditures per capita ranged from $400 to $1,400

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) new Key Statistics and Indicators section of the State Energy Data System (SEDS) show that nominal per capita U.S. motor gasoline expenditures (the amount of money spent to consume motor gasoline in the United States) averaged $1,072 in 2017, an 11% increase from 2016 and the first annual increase since its peak of more than $1,500 in 2012. Wyoming had the largest average motor gasoline expenditures per capita of any state in 2017 at $1,441, while New York had the smallest of any state at $708. Average expenditures in the District of Columbia were lower than all states at $395. More »

U.S. solar module imports partially recover after tariffs were imposed in early 2018

The United States imposed tariffs on imported silicon solar cells and modules in January 2018. Module imports decreased in the months following the tariffs' announcement and effective date, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's monthly data of solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments. U.S. solar PV module imports, measured in the modules' capacity in kilowatts, increased in mid-2017, before the tariffs were announced, and then fell to less than 300,000 kilowatts in the months following the tariff's effective date in February 2018. More »

Australia is on track to become world's largest LNG exporter

Australia is on track to surpass Qatar as the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, according to Australia's Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science (DIIS). Australia already surpasses Qatar in LNG export capacity and exported more LNG than Qatar in November 2018 and April 2019. Within the next year, as Australia's newly commissioned projects ramp up and operate at full capacity, EIA expects Australia to consistently export more LNG than Qatar. More »

EIA uses the heat content of fossil fuels to compare and aggregate energy sources

The four end-use sectors in the United States—residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation—consume a mix of fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), as well as renewable energy sources and electricity, to meet their energy needs. To compare and aggregate data from these different energy sources, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) measures consumption in a common energy unit, British thermal units (Btu), which describes the heat content of the fuels. EIA uses thermal conversion factors to convert the physical units that are generally measured and reported (such as barrels of petroleum or cubic feet of natural gas) into heat content values. More »

Rising corn prices and oversupply push ethanol operating margins to multiyear lows

Estimated operating margins for corn-based fuel ethanol plants in the Midwest decreased to multiyear lows in 2019, averaging about 3.5 cents per gallon (gal) through the first half of the year. Ethanol margins were at or near zero during June and July because of rising corn prices and high ethanol inventory levels. Lower operating margins mean some ethanol plants may cut or even pause production until conditions improve. More »

EIA introduces short-term forecasts for wholesale electricity prices

Beginning with the August edition of the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), published yesterday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is adding forecasts of wholesale electricity prices at representative hubs in 11 electricity supply regions of the Lower 48 states. EIA expects average wholesale electricity prices in 2019 will be lower than last year in most regions, primarily as a result of milder weather and lower natural gas prices. The largest forecast declines in wholesale electricity prices occur in Texas and New England. More »

Energy expenditures per dollar of GDP are highest in energy-producing states

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS), every state saw increased total energy expenditures and total energy expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 compared with the previous year. Only the District of Columbia had a decrease in total energy expenditures. States such as Louisiana, Mississippi, and Wyoming, which tend to have relatively more energy-intensive industries, have a much higher percentage of energy expenditures per dollar of GDP. The District of Columbia and states that have concentrated urban areas with less energy-intensive industries, such as Massachusetts and New York, have the lowest expenditures per GDP. More »

United States sets new daily record high for natural gas use in the power sector

The United States likely set a new daily record on Friday, July 19, of 44.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for natural gas consumption by electric power plants, according to S&P Global Platts. U.S. power sector natural gas consumption exceeded the previous record of 43.1 Bcf—set on July 16, 2018—on five days in July. Higher-than-normal temperatures and relatively low natural gas prices contributed to increased natural gas consumption by electric generators. More »

In the United States, most petroleum is consumed in transportation

Petroleum, which consists of crude oil and refined products such as gasoline, diesel, and propane, is the largest primary source of energy consumed in the United States, accounting for 36% of total energy consumption in 2018. Crude oil is processed at petroleum refineries to make many different products, such as motor gasoline, distillate fuel oil, hydrocarbon gas liquids, and jet fuel. More than two-thirds of finished petroleum products consumed in the United States are used in the transportation sector. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. petroleum flow diagram helps to visualize U.S. petroleum supply (production, imports, and withdrawals from storage) and disposition (consumption, exports, and additions to storage). More »

Heat wave results in highest U.S. electricity demand since 2017

From July 15 through July 22, 2019, a heat wave extending from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast brought extremely high temperatures and humidity to those regions. The high temperatures resulted in elevated demand for electricity to power air conditioners, dehumidifiers, fans, and other cooling equipment. In the hour ending at 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19, hourly electricity demand in the Lower 48 states peaked at 704 gigawatts (GW), according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. Electric System Operating Data. Electricity demand has not been this high since July 20, 2017, nearly two years ago, when electricity demand in the Lower 48 states hit 718 GW. More »