EIA expands data on capacity and usage of power plants, electricity storage systems

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Electric Power Monthly now includes more information on usage factors for utility-scale storage generators as well as a monthly and an annual series on the total available capacity for several power plant technology types. More »

Utility energy efficiency spending and savings declined in 2018

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) annual survey of more than 600 electric utilities and third-party program managers shows that total inflation-adjusted energy efficiency (EE) spending and electricity savings fell in 2018 as the cost of achieving savings increased in the residential sector. EE spending fell for the second year in a row, in part, because of less administrative, marketing, and other spending not directly related to energy efficiency incentives. Since 2014, reported energy efficiency savings have increased by 7%, and energy efficiency incentive spending has declined by 6%. More »

Wind has surpassed hydro as most-used renewable electricity generation source in U.S

In 2019, U.S. annual wind generation exceeded hydroelectric generation for the first time, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Electric Power Monthly. Wind is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country, a position previously held by hydroelectricity. More »

EIA forecasts natural gas inventories will reach record levels later this year

In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts that the Lower 48 states' working natural gas in storage will end the 2019-20 winter heating season (November 1–March 31) at 1,935 billion cubic feet (Bcf), with 12% more inventory than the previous five-year average. This increase is the result of mild winter temperatures and continuing strong production. EIA forecasts that net injections during the refill season (April 1–October 31) will bring the total working gas in storage to 4,029 Bcf, which, if realized, would be the largest monthly inventory level on record.. More »

Hourly electricity consumption varies throughout the day and across seasons

The electricity consumed in a given period (often referred to as electricity load) varies throughout the year in somewhat predictable patterns. Total U.S. hourly electricity load is generally highest in the summer months when demand peaks in the afternoon as households and businesses are using air conditioning on hot days. During the winter months, hourly electricity load is less variable but peaks in both the morning and the evening. Load is generally lowest in the spring and autumn when homes and businesses have less need for space heating or cooling. More »

EIA projects U.S. energy intensity to continue declining, but at a slower rate

EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) projects that U.S. energy consumption will grow more slowly than gross domestic product (GDP) through 2050 as energy intensity continues its decades-long trend of decline through the AEO2020 forecast period. Energy intensity is a measure of how efficiently the economy uses energy to produce every dollar of GDP. In the AEO2020 Reference case, total U.S. energy consumption increases at an average annual rate of 0.3% between 2019 and 2050, and GDP grows at an annual rate of 1.9%, which indicates a 1.5% average annual decline in energy intensity during the projection period. By 2050, the domestic energy consumption associated with each dollar of U.S. economic growth is less than half of what it was in 2005. More »

EIA expects natural gas production and exports to continue increasing in most scenarios

According to projections published in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020), total dry natural gas production in the United States will continue to increase until 2050 in most of the AEO2020 cases, primarily to support growing U.S. exports of natural gas to global markets. The United States began exporting more natural gas than it imports on an annual basis in 2017, driven by increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, increased pipeline exports to Mexico, and reduced imports from Canada. In most of the AEO2020 cases, net natural gas exports continue to increase through 2050, and most of the increase is in the near term. More »

EIA revises global liquid fuels demand growth down because of the coronavirus

In the February 2020 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that global liquid fuels demand will average 101.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2020, 1.0 million b/d more than the 2019 average but 378,000 b/d less than was forecast in the January 2020 edition of the STEO. The difference between the forecasts is driven by a combination of lower-than-expected heating fuel consumption caused by the Northern Hemisphere’s warmer-than-expected winter, an expected slowing of economic growth in general, and the particular economic effects of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. More »

Natural gas prices fall to lowest level since 2016, the lowest February prices in 20 years

This winter, natural gas prices have been at their lowest levels in decades. On Monday, February 10, the near-month natural gas futures price at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) closed at $1.77 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). This price was the lowest February closing price for the near-month contract since at least 2001, in real terms, and the lowest near-month futures price in any month since March 8, 2016, according to Bloomberg, L.P. and FRED data. More »

U.S. natural gas consumption has both winter and summer peaks

Natural gas consumption in the United States has two seasonal peaks, largely reflecting weather-related fluctuations in energy demand. In the winter months, cold weather leads to more demand for heating in the residential and commercial sectors. In the summer months, warm weather leads to more demand for air conditioning and, in turn, more demand for electricity. Because natural gas continues to account for an increasing share of the fuels used to generate electricity in the United States, natural gas consumption by the electric power sector has increased throughout the year. More »

The United States is projected to be a net exporter of crude oil in two AEO2020 side cases

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that the United States will export more crude oil and petroleum products combined than it imports (net exporter) until 2050, but under certain conditions, it could become a net exporter of crude oil on its own in the future as well. EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) includes two side cases—one with more oil and gas supply and one with higher oil prices—in which the United States becomes a net crude oil exporter within the next decade. More »

About 13% of U.S. electricity generating capacity can switch between natural gas and oil

In 2018, 138 gigawatts (GW), or 13%, of the total operating electric generating capacity within the United States is made up of generators capable of switching between natural gas and petroleum liquid fuels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) most recent annual survey of electric generators. Fuel switching refers to a generator's ability to completely but temporarily replace one generation fuel source with another. More »

EIA projects total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions to be relatively flat through 2050

In the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) Reference case, which assumes no new laws and regulations, U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decrease through the early 2030s before increasing to 4.9 billion metric tons in 2050. If realized, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions in 2050 would be 4% lower than 2019 levels. Changes in the fuel mix for electricity generation and increasing activity in the industrial and transportation sectors are the main drivers of EIA’s U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions projections. More »

EIA projects generation from coal and nuclear power plants will plateau after 2025

Despite projected growth in natural gas and renewable energy use to generate electricity through 2050, in the Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) Reference case, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that coal and nuclear power plants will collectively provide more than 25% of generation through 2050. Other scenarios with different assumptions for oil and natural gas supply—which in turn affect natural gas prices—have implications for long-term coal-fired and nuclear-powered electricity generation in the United States. More »

Despite the U.S. becoming a net petroleum exporter, most regions are still net importers

In November 2019, the United States exported 772,000 barrels per day (b/d) more petroleum (crude oil and petroleum products) than it imported, marking the third consecutive month in which the United States was a net petroleum exporter. Although the United States is a net petroleum exporter as a whole, most regions other than the U.S. Gulf Coast region remain net petroleum importers. More »

EIA launches redesigned International Energy Portal

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has redesigned its International Energy Portal to streamline navigation, simplify data presentation, and implement responsive design use. EIA based many of the redesigned aspects on customer feedback about the earlier beta release of the portal. More »

Coal-fired electricity generation in New England and New York has diminished

As many of the coal-fired power plants in New England and New York have either retired or switched fuels, the regions’ coal-fired electricity generation and coal consumption have fallen to near minimal levels. Additional closures in the coming months will further reduce coal consumption in these regions. In 2007, when coal-fired electricity generation peaked in the United States, coal accounted for 15% of the electricity generated in both New England and New York. Once final data for 2019 are available, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects coal’s share of generation will be less than 1% in each region. More »

U.S. crude oil and natural gas production increased in 2018, with 10% fewer wells

In 2018, while production was increasing, the total number of wells producing crude oil and natural gas in the United States fell to 982,000, down from a peak of 1,035,000 wells in 2014. This increase in production, despite the decline in the number of wells, reflects advances in technology and drilling techniques. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s updated U.S. Oil and Natural Gas Wells by Production Rate report shows how daily production rates of individual wells by state contributed to an increase in total crude oil and natural gas production in 2018. More »