More energy is used per person for transportation in states with low population density

According to the latest data estimates in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS), people in geographically large states with small populations, such as Alaska, Wyoming, and North Dakota, used twice as much energy for transportation than the U.S. average on a per capita basis. States with higher population density, such as Rhode Island and New York, used less transportation energy per capita in 2018. More »

Changing demand for petroleum products has led to operational changes at U.S. refineries

Demand for transportation fuels in the United States has fallen since mid-March because of the spread of coronavirus and efforts to mitigate it. Demand for motor gasoline and jet fuel in particular has fallen to its lowest levels in years. In response, U.S. refineries reduced their operations to adjust to changing levels of overall demand for petroleum products and made other changes that resulted in proportionately less production of motor gasoline and jet fuel and more production of distillate fuel oil. More »

South Korea is one of the world’s largest nuclear power producers

As of August 2020, South Korea operates a fleet of 24 nuclear reactor units, representing 23.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, at four nuclear power complexes. In 2019, South Korea's nuclear fleet generated 139 terawatthours (TWh) of electricity, making South Korea the fifth-largest nuclear power producer in the world and accounting for 26% of the country's total electricity generation. More »

The United States set record for daily natural gas power burn in late July

In the United States, natural gas consumed by electric power plants (power burn) set a daily record high of 47.2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) on Monday, July 27, according to S&P Global Platts estimates. Consequently, on the same day, natural gas-fired generation in the Lower 48 states also reached an all-time high of 316 gigawatts (GW) in the late afternoon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. More »

EIA's mapping system and data series show energy infrastructure near hurricanes, wildfires

Tropical Storms Marco and Laura are in or approaching the U.S. Gulf Coast region, home to key U.S. energy infrastructure, and several wildfires are affecting large areas of California and Colorado. Both the storms and fires could affect local energy supply and demand, especially for transportation fuels and electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Energy Disruptions map shows storm and fire-related geographic data (also referred to as map layers) from the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service and EIA's map layers for energy-related infrastructure such as high-voltage transmission lines, power plants, and petroleum bulk terminals. More »

In the first half of 2020, about 5 Bcf/d of natural gas pipeline capacity entered service

Between January and early July 2020, approximately 5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of new pipeline capacity entered service in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Natural Gas Pipeline Project Tracker. Several of these projects could increase deliverability to growing natural gas demand markets in North America. More »

Monthly U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions in April were the lowest in decades

Monthly U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell to 307 million metric tons (MMmt) in April 2020, the lowest value in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) monthly series for CO2 emissions, which dates back to 1973. Travel restrictions and other measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in April resulted in sudden and significant changes in energy consumption, resulting in lower energy-related emissions. More »

North Dakota crude oil production fell in May beyond natural declines

Between December 2019 and May 2020, crude oil output in North Dakota fell from an average of 1.5 million barrels per day (b/d) to 0.9 million b/d, a decline of more than 615,000 b/d (41.6%). This production decline is greater than it would have been if producers solely halted new drilling and allowed production from current wells to naturally decline. More »

U.S. shipments of solar photovoltaic modules increase as prices continue to fall

In 2019, U.S. shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, also referred to as solar panels, reached a record-high 16.4 million kilowatts (kW), 2.9 million kW more than the previous record of 13.5 million kW set in 2016. Solar PV module shipments include imports, exports, and modules produced and sold domestically, but they exclude modules shipped for resale. These shipments have steadily increased since 2006, driven by significant price declines and policy incentives that encourage solar PV installation. U.S. PV shipments declined in 2017 and 2018 when policy reforms and import tariffs went into effect. More »

Early 2020 data show U.S. biodiesel production levels largely unchanged since 2019

U.S. biodiesel production has seen smaller reductions in recent months compared with other transportation fuels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Petroleum Supply Monthly. As a result of mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), motor gasoline demand has declined significantly since March 2020. The decline in demand also reduced ethanol demand. Biodiesel production through May 2020, on the other hand, is largely unchanged from year–ago levels because biodiesel is not constrained by the same blending limits as ethanol. More »

U.S. coal stockpiles steadily increase after reaching lowest level in a decade in 2019

After reaching their lowest level in more than a decade in March 2019, U.S. coal stockpiles steadily increased to 152 million tons in April 2020, recovering to levels not seen in three years. Total U.S. coal stockpiles have increased as coal-fired generation has fallen to a 42-year low. More »

Currency appreciation makes crude oil less expensive for some oil importers

Brent crude oil prices and the index of the value of the U.S. dollar have generally been moving in opposite directions on a daily basis during the past several months. The two measures are responding to similar economic information—in this case, the outlook for global economic growth and demand expectations. Much of the decline in the U.S. dollar index can be attributed to appreciation in the euro against the U.S. dollar. More »

As lockdowns eased in May, gasoline demand increased and jet fuel continued to fall

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) data show that demand (measured by EIA as product supplied) for motor gasoline increased in May as many states began to relax stay—at—home orders, but demand for jet fuel continued to decline because of reduced commercial air travel. EIA’s July Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM), which includes data through May 2020, shows how crude oil and petroleum product markets continue to be affected by the measures taken to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. More »

More power generation came from natural gas in first half of 2020 than first half of 2019

Natural gas-fired generation in the Lower 48 states increased nearly 55,000 gigawatthours (GWh), or 9%, in the first half of 2020 compared with the first half of 2019. Natural gas was the fastest-growing source of electric power generation, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. The increase in natural gas-fired generation was the result of recent low prices and natural gas-fired power capacity additions, despite a 5% decline in total electricity generation. The decrease in electricity consumption resulted from reduced business activity as a result of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Natural gas-fired generation from electric power plants reached record-high levels on July 28 as summertime heat began reaching its seasonal peak. More »

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports remain at low levels this summer

After establishing a record high of 8.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in January 2020, U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell to an average of 3.1 Bcf/d in July 2020. July exports were similar to LNG exports in May 2018, when the available liquefaction capacity was about one-third of the current capacity. During the week of July 12–18, 2020, LNG weekly exports were loaded by only four vessels for a total of 2.0 Bcf/d—the same levels as the second week of December 2016. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. LNG exports to remain at low levels for the next few months. According to trade press reports, 45 cargoes have been canceled for August shipments and an estimated 30 cargoes have been canceled for September shipments. More »

Utility-scale battery storage capacity continued its upward trend in 2018

Utility-scale battery storage systems are increasingly being installed in the United States. In 2010, the United States had seven operational battery storage systems, which accounted for 59 megawatts (MW) of power capacity (the maximum amount of power output a battery can provide in any instant) and 21 megawatthours (MWh) of energy capacity (the total amount of energy that can be stored or discharged by a battery). By the end of 2018, the United States had 125 operational battery storage systems, providing a total of 869 MW of installed power capacity and 1,236 MWh of energy capacity. More »

COVID-19's impact on commercial jet fuel demand has been significant and uneven

Efforts to contain the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have dramatically changed global commercial passenger flight volumes. These flights averaged a little more than 70,000 flights per day in January and February, fell to an average of less than 25,000 flights per day in April, and then started to increase again in May. Commercial jet fuel consumption showed a similar pattern, falling from an average of 4.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in January and February to 1.0 million b/d in April. More »

Gasoline and diesel refining margins that diverged in March have moved closer together

U.S. gasoline and diesel crack spreads diverged sharply in March and April as a result of the mitigation efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but they have moved closer since May. Crack spreads are the difference between the price of crude oil and the wholesale price of a refined petroleum product, and they are used by industry to estimate refining margins. More »

More than 100 coal-fired plants have been replaced or converted to natural gas since 2011

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 121 U.S. coal-fired power plants were repurposed to burn other types of fuels between 2011 and 2019, 103 of which were converted to or replaced by natural gas-fired plants. At the end of 2010, 316.8 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity existed in the United States, but by the end of 2019, 49.2 GW of that amount was retired, 14.3 GW had the boiler converted to burn natural gas, and 15.3 GW was replaced with natural gas combined cycle. The decision for plants to switch from coal to natural gas was driven by stricter emission standards, low natural gas prices, and more efficient new natural gas turbine technology. More »

U.S. crude oil production in May has a record monthly decrease

Production of crude oil decreased in the United States in May 2020 by 1.99 million barrels per day (b/d), the largest monthly decrease since at least January 1980, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production Report. This decrease surpassed the previous record drop in September 2008 when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike caused production to fall by 1.03 million b/d. May marks the sixth consecutive monthly decrease in crude oil production and is the third month since the March 2020 declaration of a national emergency concerning the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. More »

Illinois is a top energy consumer and producer in the Midwest

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS), Illinois had the highest energy consumption in the Midwest and was the third-highest energy producer of any state in the region. In 2018, customers in Illinois consumed 4.0 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy, and 2.6 quadrillion Btu was produced in the state. Total energy production and consumption in Illinois each accounted for nearly 17% of the Midwest's total. More »