U.S. average gasoline prices before Memorial Day are the highest since 2014

The average retail price for regular gasoline in the United States on May 24, the Monday before the Memorial Day weekend, was $3.02 per gallon (gal), the highest gasoline price before Memorial Day since 2014, according to our weekly Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. The average U.S. gasoline price on May 24 was $1.14/gal higher than a year ago. More »

Major utilities' spending on the electric distribution system continues to increase

Annual spending on electricity distribution systems by major U.S. utilities continues to increase. Utilities spent $57.4 billion on electric distribution in 2019, 6% more than the previous year and 64% more than they spent in 2000 after adjusting for inflation. More than half of utility distribution spending in 2019 went toward capital investment ($31.4 billion) as utilities worked to replace, modernize, and expand existing infrastructure. Another $14.6 billion paid for operations and maintenance (O&M), and $11.5 billion went to customer expenses, which include advertising, billing, and customer service. More »

EIA lowers its forecast of India's oil demand because of rising COVID-19 cases

The rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in India has led to various travel restrictions, which reduced consumption of transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel. As a result, we revised down our forecast for petroleum consumption in India in the May Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). We estimate that petroleum consumption in India declined by 0.4 million barrels per day (b/d) (8%) to 4.7 million b/d between March and April. More »

EIA expects more electricity consumption this summer as economy recovers from pandemic

Our Summer 2021 Electricity Industry Outlook, a supplement of the Short-Term Energy Outlook, projects 1.5% more U.S. retail sales of electricity this summer than last summer. Much of the growth we expect will occur in the commercial and industrial sectors, reflecting an improving economy following the pandemic-related downturn in 2020. We forecast U.S. residential sector retail sales of electricity during the summer of 2021 to be 0.9% lower than last summer, mostly reflecting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's forecast of milder weather. This decrease, however, is offset somewhat by growth in the number of residential customers and by more people working from home than in past years. More »

U.S. natural gas generation in 2021 sees its first year-over-year decline in three years

In the first four months of 2021, natural gas-fired generation in the Lower 48 states averaged 3,394 gigawatthours (GWh) per day, a nearly 7% decrease from the same period in 2020, according to data from our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. The decline in natural gas generation during the first four months of this year is the result of higher natural gas prices and increased competition from renewables, and it is the first year-over-year decline since 2017. Overall, U.S. electricity generation during the period increased 6.6% compared with 2020 because of colder winter weather. More »

U.S. ethane production to grow, along with expanding domestic consumption and exports

U.S. production of ethane, a hydrocarbon gas liquid (HGL) produced primarily in natural gas processing plants, has grown rapidly since 2013. Production has nearly doubled from 0.95 million barrels per day (b/d) in the first quarter of 2013 to 1.85 million b/d in the first quarter of 2021. In our Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast ethane production to continue to grow in response to a growing U.S. petrochemical industry and rising ethane exports to petrochemical plants around the world, reaching 2.6 million b/d by the fourth quarter of 2022. More »

Natural gas combined-cycle plant use varies by region and age

In recent years, U.S. natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) electric generating capacity has increased as a result of relatively low natural gas prices and improved thermal efficiency and economies of scale from advances in turbine design. Newer turbines are more efficient than older turbine technologies, making them more cost-effective to run. As a result, the average annual capacity factor, or utilization rate, for newer NGCC generators in the United States is slightly higher than that of older, less efficient generators. More »

February 2021 drop in U.S. ethane demand was largest monthly decline on record

In February 2021, extremely cold winter weather in the Gulf Coast region resulted in outages at most petrochemical plants in the area, causing the largest monthly decline in demand for ethane feedstock on record. Ethane consumption (we use product supplied as a proxy for consumption) in February dropped 654,000 barrels per day (b/d) from January 2021 to a total of 1.21 million b/d. This level was the lowest level of ethane consumption since October 2017, when the U.S. Gulf Coast was recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Harvey. More »

Average U.S. retail gasoline price exceeds $3.00 for the first time since late 2014

Disruptions to Colonial Pipeline operations prompted an increase in the average U.S. retail price for regular grade gasoline (retail gasoline price) to $3.03 per gallon (gal) on May 17, the first time retail gasoline prices averaged more than $3.00/gal since October 27, 2014. The average retail gasoline price in the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) increased 10 cents/gal from the previous week to $2.88/gal. More »

Despite more people staying at home, U.S. residential energy use fell 4% in 2020

Despite many people spending more time in their homes during 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. energy consumption in the residential sector fell 4% between 2019 and 2020, according to our Monthly Energy Review. Relatively warmer weather during the winter months in 2020 significantly reduced U.S. home energy consumption for space heating compared with 2019, which was enough to offset a 2% increase in residential electricity retail sales. More »

In 2020, U.S. exports of fuel ethanol fell for the second consecutive year

The United States exported 87,000 barrels per day (b/d) of fuel ethanol in 2020, marking the second consecutive annual drop in U.S. fuel ethanol exports and the lowest level since 2015. U.S. fuel ethanol imports also decreased in 2020. In 2020, the United States exported more fuel ethanol than it imported for the 11th consecutive year. More »

Coal transported to the U.S. electric power sector declined by 22% in 2020

The U.S. electric power sector received 428 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2020, the lowest annual level for that sector since we began publishing this data in 2007. U.S. coal shipments were down 22% in 2020 from 2019 levels, driven by lower overall electricity demand due to responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued decline in U.S. coal-fired capacity and generation. More than two-thirds (67%) of the coal that was delivered to the U.S. electric power sector in 2020 was shipped either completely or in part by rail; the remainder was shipped by river barge, truck, or other methods. More »

EIA forecasts less natural gas-fired electricity generation this summer

We published a Summer Electricity Outlook supplement, which provides more detail about our forecasts for U.S electricity consumption, power generation, and electricity prices for the upcoming summer months of June, July, and August, to our May Short-Term Energy Outlook. In this outlook, we forecast U.S. natural gas-fired generation during the summer of 2021 will total 420 billion kilowatthours (kWh), representing 37% of total generation compared with 42% last summer. Forecast U.S. coal generation will rise to 289 billion kWh this summer, representing an increase in generation share from 22% last summer to 26% this summer. More »

Cyberattack halts fuel movement on Colonial petroleum pipeline

Colonial Pipeline, a major delivery system spanning from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the East Coast for transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products, halted operations on Friday, May 7, to contain the effects of a cyberattack. As of Monday, May 10, the pipeline had not resumed operations of its main lines, although some smaller lines are operational. The company announced that it hopes to restore service by the end of the week. More »

February 2021 weather triggers largest monthly decline in U.S. natural gas production

In February 2021, a record-breaking cold snap hit the Lower 48 states. Extreme winter weather caused natural gas production freeze-offs and higher electricity and commodity prices, especially in the top energy-consuming state, Texas. The cold snap affected natural gas production and industrial sector consumption the most, which had the largest monthly declines on record, while residential sector consumption reached a record high. More »

Average Texas electricity prices were higher in February 2021 due to a severe winter storm

In February 2021, extreme winter weather affected energy supply and demand in Texas, resulting in higher electricity prices for some customers. According to preliminary data from EIA's most recent Electric Power Monthly, the average February electricity price was higher for all customer sectors in Texas compared with the same time last year. More »

Energy production in the United States fell by more than 5% in 2020

In 2020, energy production in the United States fell to just below 96 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), down more than 5% from 2019's record high, according to our Monthly Energy Review. In absolute terms, the drop from 101.3 quads in 2019 to 95.8 quads in 2020 marked the largest annual decrease in U.S. energy production on record. Economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that began during the spring of 2020 drove most of this decrease. More »

U.S. crude oil imports from OPEC are down, but imports from Canada remain high

Voluntary OPEC production cuts have been contributing to reduced U.S. crude oil imports from OPEC so far in 2021. Comparatively stable U.S. crude oil imports from Canada, however, have been mostly the result of longer-term trends. Between 2005 and 2020, U.S. crude oil imports from OPEC members decreased rapidly, but imports from non-OPEC members remained relatively high. In particular, U.S. crude oil imports from Canada more than doubled to average 3.6 million b/d in 2020, which was more than the combined total of crude oil imports from all other countries. More »

U.S. imports of biomass-based diesel increased 12% in 2020

U.S. imports of biomass-based diesel, which include biodiesel and renewable diesel, grew 12% in 2020 to more than 31,000 barrels per day (b/d), increasing for the second consecutive year. Imports of biomass-based diesel increased in 2020 because of growing demand to meet government renewable fuel programs. U.S. consumption of biomass-based diesel, unlike demand for other fuels, remained relatively unaffected by responses to COVID-19 during 2020. More »

U.S. spent nuclear fuel inventory steadily increased from 2013 through 2017

The volume of spent nuclear fuel produced by nuclear power plants in the United States has steadily increased during the past few decades. The volume of spent nuclear fuel at the end of 2017 was 13.5% metric tons more than at the end of June 2013, according to newly released data from EIA's Nuclear Fuel Data Survey. The survey data contain information on the quantity and characteristics of spent nuclear fuel at the time when a reactor discharges it. More »