U.S. electric power sector's use of water continued its downward trend in 2020

The U.S. electric power sector's cooling water withdrawals fell 10.5% from 53.1 trillion gallons in 2019 to 47.5 trillion gallons in 2020, continuing the downward trend in withdrawals. The decline has been driven by the increased use of renewable and natural gas-fired generation in place of coal-fired generation, as well as less use of once-through cooling technologies. More »

EIA forecasts U.S. natural gas production will establish a new monthly record high in 2022

In our December Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that U.S. dry natural gas production will increase from 95.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in October 2021 to 97.5 Bcf/d by December 2022, a new record. The previous monthly record of 97.2 Bcf/d was set in November 2019. More »

Of the operating U.S. coal-fired power plants, 28% plan to retire by 2035

Although coal-fired power plants have no mandatory retirement age, power plant owners and operators have reported to EIA that they plan to retire 28%, or 59 gigawatts (GW), of the coal-fired capacity currently operating in the United States by 2035. As of September 2021, 212 GW of utility-scale coal-fired electric-generating capacity was operating in the United States, most of which was built in the 1970s and 1980s, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. More »

Higher wages in China increase consumer demand but have a limited effect on energy use

In the International Energy Outlook 2021 (IEO2021), Issues in Focus: Changes in Composition of Economic Growth in China, we compared the IEO2021 Reference case with the Higher China Wages case—a case in which we assumed that a smaller working-age population will result in a faster increase in wages through 2050. We compared these cases to better understand the potential economic outcomes in China and the associated energy use in each case. More »

Less production and more demand have reduced U.S. jet fuel inventories

On November 26, U.S. jet fuel inventories were at their lowest level since late 2014, according to data in our Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Refineries produced less jet fuel in October compared with this summer, and since August, jet fuel demand has increased to near pre-pandemic levels. This increased demand, along with reduced production, has caused inventories to decline. More »

The Brent crude oil price decline on November 26 was among the largest in years

The front-month futures price for Brent crude oil decreased by $9.50 per barrel, or nearly 12%, on November 26 after the World Health Organization designated the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant as a variant of concern. Daily Brent crude oil prices have fallen by at least 10% on only 8 days since 2000. More »

U.S. liquefied natural gas export capacity will be world’s largest by end of 2022

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity has grown rapidly since the Lower 48 states first began exporting LNG in February 2016. In 2020, the United States became the world’s third-largest LNG exporter, behind Australia and Qatar. Once the new LNG liquefaction units, called trains, at Sabine Pass and Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana are placed in service by the end of 2022, the United States will have the world’s largest LNG export capacity. More »

North Dakota's natural gas producers meet the state's natural gas capture target

In North Dakota, the rate of natural gas flaring (which is natural gas burned at the wellhead of the production site rather than being captured) declined to an average of 7.5% this year through September. This decline in natural gas flaring resulted in producers capturing 92.5% of produced natural gas, which meets the state's goal to capture 91% of the natural gas produced in the state. In early 2020, natural gas production fell rapidly as a result of COVID-19-related impacts, from 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in March to 1.9 Bcf/d in May, but returned to pre-pandemic levels almost as rapidly, reaching 2.9 Bcf/d by October of the same year. From April 2020 to September 2021, producers met the state capture target for every month except July 2021. More »

In September, the United States was at its lowest coal stockpiles since 1978

Coal stockpiles at U.S. electric power plants totaled 80 million tons at the end of September, the lowest monthly level since March 1978. As U.S. coal plants have retired and remaining plants are used less, the country’s total coal stockpiles have declined. In addition, increased electricity generation by coal plants during the summer of 2021 also reduced coal inventories. More »

Brazil was the only South American country to increase crude oil production in 2020

Brazil was the only oil-producing country in South America to report an increase in crude oil and condensate production in 2020 compared with 2019, according to our Country Analysis Brief: Brazil, which we updated this summer. In 2020, Brazil produced an average of 2.94 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil and condensate, an increase of more than 150,000 b/d on average compared with 2019. More »

More OPEC production and higher global natural gas prices widen crude oil price spreads

Recently, prices of high-sulfur crude oils have been declining relative to low-sulfur crude oils. Rising crude oil exports from OPEC members that produce mostly medium-sulfur or high-sulfur crude oils, also called sour crude oils, and higher natural gas prices have contributed to lower prices for sour crude oils relative to low-sulfur (sweet) crude oils. More »

In 2020, the value of energy trade between the United States and Canada declined

In 2020, the value of U.S. energy imports from Canada totaled $58 billion—accounting for more than one-fifth of the value of all U.S. imports from Canada. The value of U.S. energy imports from Canada fell by 31% in 2020 compared with 2019, and the value of U.S. energy exports to Canada fell 34%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. More »

California hydroelectric facilities continue to respond to prices despite drought

Despite widespread, intense drought conditions, hydroelectric power plants in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, provided a significant amount of generation from April to September 2021. Although drought conditions reduced the water supply in California, hydroelectric generation during this period still increased in response to the higher average hourly electricity prices in the late afternoon.. More »