U.S. jet fuel consumption during the week of Thanksgiving was about half of last year’s

For the week of Thanksgiving 2020, estimated consumption of major transportation fuels (motor gasoline, distillate, and jet fuel) was 11% lower than during Thanksgiving week 2019. About half as much jet fuel was consumed during the week of Thanksgiving as last year, measured using product supplied as a proxy for consumption: 1.1 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2020 compared with 2.0 million b/d in 2019, according to estimates in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Weekly Petroleum Status Report. More »

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports set a record in November

During the summer of 2020, monthly exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States were the lowest in 26 months but have since increased, and in November, estimated LNG exports surpassed the previous record set in January 2020. In the December 2020 Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that November U.S. LNG exports reached 9.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), which was 93% of peak LNG export capacity utilization. More »

Average monthly electricity bill for U.S. residential customers declined in 2019

In 2019, the average monthly electricity bill for residential customers in the United States was 1.8% lower than it had been in 2018, down from $118 to $115 per month. Although the average U.S. residential electricity price rose from 12.87 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) in 2018 to 13.01 cents/kWh in 2019, less-than-average monthly electricity consumption per customer resulted in a lower average bill in 2019 More »

Petroleum stocks at Northeast power plants have not changed much in recent years

In much of the United States, power plants that burn petroleum liquids are generally operated for short periods during times of peak electricity demand, such as during brief periods of cold winter weather. These plants maintain petroleum inventories so that they are ready to dispatch electricity when it's needed. Petroleum plays an important role in the Northeast (defined here as New York and New England) when electricity demand is high, particularly in the winter. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), power plants in the Northeast held petroleum inventories of approximately 6.7 million barrels as of the end of September 2020, close to the average of 7 million barrels during the previous five Septembers. More »

In California, natural gas helps balance changes in electricity demand and solar output

In California wholesale electricity markets, natural gas-fired electricity generation helps to balance fluctuations in electricity demand with daily cycles in solar-powered electricity generation. Natural gas and solar are the two most prevalent sources of electricity generation in California; however, solar generation is non-dispatchable. Grid operators in the state use natural gas and, to a lesser extent, hydroelectricity and electricity imports from neighboring areas to balance changes in electricity demand. More »

U.S. petroleum refining capacity falls to its lowest level since May 2016

As of September 1 (the latest data available), the United States had 18.4 million barrels per calendar day (b/cd) of petroleum refining capacity, also known as operable atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity. U.S. refining capacity had reached a record high of nearly 19.0 million b/cd earlier this year, but several refineries have closed since then and reduced capacity to the lowest level since May 2016. More »

EIA expects U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to fall 11% in 2020

In 2020, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. energy sector could be 11% lower than in 2019, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data through August and EIA estimates for September through December. According to values published in EIA's December Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA expects CO2 emissions in 2020 to fall by 19% for coal, by 13% for petroleum, and by 2% for natural gas. Many of this year's changes in energy-related CO2 emissions are attributable to the economic and behavioral effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on energy consumption. More »

Natural gas venting and flaring in North Dakota and Texas increased in 2019

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) 2020 Natural Gas Annual reports that the volume of U.S. natural gas that was vented and flared in 2019 was 1.48 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), a record high annual average. The percentage of U.S. natural gas that was vented and flared in 2019 increased to 1.3% of gross withdrawals, the highest share recorded in EIA data. As crude oil production has outpaced the construction of necessary infrastructure to transport the natural gas extracted during oil production, or associated natural gas, it has been increasingly vented and flared. More »

California was the largest net electricity importer of any state in 2019

Electricity routinely flows between the Lower 48 states and, to a lesser extent, between the United States and Canada and Mexico. Electricity generation exceeds electricity consumption in 25 states, and excess electricity is transmitted across state lines—almost 10% of U.S. electricity generation is traded among states. In 2019, California's net electricity imports were the largest in the country at 70.8 million megawatthours (MWh), or 25% of the state's total electricity supply. Pennsylvania's electricity exports were the largest of any state in 2019, at 70.5 million MWh, or 24% of total supply. More »

Natural gas-fired generation has increased in most U.S. regions since 2015

Natural gas-fired generation has generally increased in most U.S. regions since 2015, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Power Plant Operations Report. Annual electricity generation from natural gas power plants in the United States increased by 31% in the Northeast region, by 20% in the Central region, and by 17% in the South region between 2015 and 2019. In the West region of the continental United States, electric power generation from natural gas power plants remained relatively flat during the same period. More »

Commercial buildings have gotten larger in the United States, with implications for energy

Commercial buildings have gotten larger in the United States as their floorspace continues to grow faster than the number of commercial buildings, according to preliminary results from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). CBECS estimates that 5.9 million U.S. commercial buildings contained a total of 97 billion square feet as of 2018. The number of commercial buildings increased by 6%, and commercial square footage increased by 11% since the CBECS was last conducted in 2012. More »

The capacity of U.S. coal mines has fallen 28% since its 2009 peak

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest Annual Coal Report (ACR) shows that U.S. coal mining productive capacity, or the maximum amount of coal that mines can produce in a year, totaled 1,009 million short tons (MMst) in 2019. This amount represents a 28% decrease from the peak productive coal mine capacity of 1,407 MMst reported in 2009. U.S. coal production declined by 35% during the same period because many coal mines closed and the remaining mines produced less coal. More »

The United States briefly returned to net importer status for petroleum earlier this year

The United States imported more crude oil and petroleum products than it exported in May and June of this year, briefly reversing the country's 15-year-long trend toward becoming a net petroleum exporter. After being a net petroleum exporter for seven consecutive months from October 2019 through April 2020, the United States became a net importer, and U.S. net petroleum imports averaged 939,000 barrels per day (b/d) in May and 675,000 b/d in June. On an annual basis, U.S. net imports of petroleum have fallen from a high of 12.5 million b/d in 2005 to 0.7 million b/d in 2019. More »

U.S. distillate inventories have fallen back within the five-year range

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Weekly Petroleum Status Report, for the week ending November 13, 2020, U.S. distillate inventories fell to 143 million barrels, back within its previous five-year (2015-19) range for the first time since May 8. U.S. distillate inventories reached 180 million barrels in late July, only 3% less than in December 1982, the largest U.S. inventory in EIA's data, which go back to 1982. More »