Nearly half of U.S. households use LED bulbs for all or most of their indoor lighting

U.S. households are increasingly switching to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs; 47% report using LEDs for most or all of their indoor lighting in 2020, according to the most recent results from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). In the previous RECS, conducted in 2015, only 4% of households used LEDs for most or all of their indoor lighting. More »

Drought effects on hydroelectricity generation in western U.S. differed by region in 2021

In 2021, a historic drought that affected much of the western United States led to reduced water supply and, as a result, lower hydropower generation in the Pacific Northwest and California. Electricity generation at California's hydropower plants last year was 48% below the 10-year average (2011–2020). In the Pacific Northwest, which consists of Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, hydropower generation was 14% below the 10-year average. More »

Crude oil exports from other countries may pass through Russian infrastructure

Earlier this month, President Biden banned U.S. imports of crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, coal, and coal products that originate in Russia. The President’s executive order, however, does not restrict U.S. energy imports originating in other countries that transit through Russia or depart from Russia’s ports. Crude oil exported from countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan moves through Russia’s energy export infrastructure. Crude oil from Russia can be imported into the United States if it is marketed and loaded with a certificate of origin verifying that the crude oil is of non-Russian origin. More »

U.S. exported record amounts of liquefied natural gas in 2021

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) set a record high in 2021, averaging 9.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), according to our most recent Natural Gas Monthly. U.S. LNG exports increased by 50% from 2020. The increase in U.S. LNG exports was driven by increased demand in both Europe and Asia (particularly China) and by expanding U.S. liquefaction capacity. In 2021, liquefaction at the six U.S. LNG export terminals averaged 102% of nameplate (or nominal) capacity and 89% of peak capacity, according to our estimates. More »

Duration of utility-scale batteries depends on how they’re used

At the end of 2021, the United States had 4,605 megawatts (MW) of operational utility-scale battery storage power capacity, according to our latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. Power capacity refers to the greatest amount of energy a battery can discharge in a given moment. Batteries used for grid services have relatively short average durations. A battery's average duration is the amount of time a battery can contribute electricity at its nameplate power capacity until it runs out. Batteries used for electricity load shifting have relatively long durations. More »

EIA projects U.S. renewable diesel supply to surpass biodiesel in AEO2022

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, we project that renewable diesel supply (domestic production and net imports) will exceed biodiesel supply in the near term. We project that renewable diesel supply will increase to 130,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2022 and 145,000 b/d in 2050, reflecting a significant increase in renewable diesel production capacity in the near term. More »

U.S. gasoline and diesel prices declined slightly the week after their March 14 peak

On March 21, the U.S. regular retail gasoline price across all formulations (conventional and reformulated) averaged $4.24 per gallon (gal), and the U.S. on-highway retail diesel fuel price averaged $5.13/gal. Retail gasoline prices peaked in our weekly data on March 14 at $4.32/gal, a 22% increase from $3.53 per gallon on February 21. During the same three-week period, the average U.S. on-highway retail diesel fuel price increased 29% from $4.06/gal to $5.25/gal. Retail gasoline and diesel fuel prices have never increased so quickly on a percentage basis over a three-week period in our data (which for gasoline dates back to August 1990 and for diesel dates back to March 1994). More »

The United States imports more petroleum products than crude oil from Russia

The United States has imported a relatively small share of crude oil from Russia, but U.S. imports of petroleum products from Russia—namely, unfinished oils and fuel oil—is a larger share. U.S. refineries use imported unfinished oils and fuel oil as a supplement to crude oil in the refining process. On March 8, President Biden announced a ban on U.S. imports of petroleum, coal, and natural gas from Russia in response to Russia's further invasion into Ukraine. The ban includes crude oil and petroleum products. More »

EIA projects U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions to fall in the near term, then rise

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022), we project that energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will decrease in the United States through the mid-2030s and then increase through 2050 across a wide variety of assumptions. We project that, over time, increasing emissions from natural gas and petroleum consumption growth will offset declines in emissions from coal consumption. More »

EIA projects that renewable generation will supply 44% of U.S. electricity by 2050

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, we project that the share of U.S. power generation from renewables will increase from 21% in 2021 to 44% in 2050. This increase in renewable energy mainly consists of new wind and solar power. The contribution of hydropower remains largely unchanged through 2050, and other renewable sources of power generation, such as geothermal and biomass, collectively remain less than 3% of total generation. More »

Petroleum and natural gas are the most-used fuels in the United States through 2050

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, we project that U.S. energy consumption will grow through 2050, primarily driven by population and economic growth. In this case, which reflects only current laws and regulations, renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source through 2050, and petroleum remains the largest share of energy consumption throughout that period, followed by natural gas. More »

EIA expects crude oil prices higher than $100 per barrel in coming months

On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a further invasion of Ukraine that contributed to the recent sharp increase in the Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices. This sharp rise in crude oil prices reflects increased geopolitical risk and uncertainty regarding how announced and potential future sanctions may affect global energy markets. In our March 2022 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which was finalized on March 3, we increased our forecast price of international benchmark Brent crude oil to $116 per barrel (b) for the second quarter of 2022. We expect gasoline prices to average about $4.10 per gallon (gal) during the second quarter of 2022 and then decline through the rest of the year. More »

U.S. coal exports increased 23% between 2020 and 2021

In 2021, coal exports from the United States increased by 23% to 85 million metric short tons (MMst) from 69 MMst in 2020. Steam coal exports increased by 47% to 40 MMst, and metallurgical coal exports increased by 8% to 45 MMst. In 2021, the percentage of domestic coal production that was exported rose to 15%. More »

Europe is a key destination for Russia's energy exports

In 2021, Russia was the largest natural gas-exporting country in the world, the second-largest crude oil and condensates-exporting country after Saudi Arabia, and the third-largest coal-exporting country behind Indonesia and Australia. Although OECD Europe received most of Russia's crude oil and natural gas exports last year, countries in Asia and the Oceania region received most of Russia's coal exports. More »

EIA analysis explores energy effects of early adoption of low-carbon steelmaking

The Early Adoption Case (EAC) of our newly released Issues in Focus: Energy Implications of Potential Iron and Steel-Sector Decarbonization Pathways explores the effects on energy demand of the steel industry becoming an early adopter of renewable hydrogen and increasing the share of steel produced using electric arc furnaces in China, OECD Europe, Japan, and South Korea. The EAC assumes renewable-sourced hydrogen reaches cost parity with fossil fuel-based hydrogen in 2030. This report is part of our larger International Energy Outlook 2021 (IEO2021). More »

Increased demand and low inventories drive U.S. distillate prices higher

Rising crude oil prices, low refinery production, and increased consumption of distillate fuel have contributed to the highest nominal (not adjusted for inflation) distillate prices since 2014. Distillate is a category of fuel that includes diesel fuel and heating oil. The front-month futures price for ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) for delivery in New York Harbor surpassed $3.00 per gallon (gal) on February 28 and closed at $4.44/gal on March 8. Rising crude oil prices account for much of the increase in ULSD prices, but other market fundamentals specific to distillate are also contributing to the higher prices. More »

EIA expects U.S. natural gas production to rise as demand for exports grow

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, we project that U.S. natural gas production will continue to increase through 2050. The Reference case is the baseline in AEO2022, and it projects energy trends based on current laws, regulations, and market conditions. Much of the modeled growth in natural gas production results from rising demand for U.S. natural gas exports, especially for liquefied natural gas (LNG). We project natural gas exports to continue to rise through the early 2030s before leveling off. More »

U.S. to release 30 million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve

On March 1, the U.S. Department of Energy committed to releasing 30 million barrels of crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to ensure an adequate supply of petroleum in response to Russia's further invasion of Ukraine. This SPR release is part of a coordinated effort among the 31 members of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Other IEA member countries collectively agreed to release an additional 30 million barrels of petroleum from their emergency reserves, bringing the total release to 60 million barrels. More »

Solar power and batteries account for 60% of planned new U.S. electric generation capacity

Power plant developers and operators expect to add 85 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity to the U.S. power grid from 2022 to 2023, 60% (51 GW) of which will be made up of solar power and battery storage projects, according to data reported in our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. In many cases, projects combine these technologies. More »

Crude oil prices increase above $100 per barrel following Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Following reports that Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, the front-month futures price of both Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil have increased to more than $100 per barrel (b). The front-month Brent contract price closed just below $115/b on Wednesday, March 2, after rising and settling above $100/b on February 28. The Brent crude oil price last rose above $100/b in late 2014. The front-month WTI contract price closed above $110/b on March 2, after first settling above $100/b on March 1. More »

EIA projects U.S. energy consumption will grow through 2050, driven by economic growth

Energy consumption will increase in the United States over the next 30 years across a variety of economic scenarios as population and economic growth outpace energy efficiency gains, according to our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022), which we will release later today. More »

New pipelines carrying natural gas plant liquids increase natural gas processing

In 2020 and 2021, more than 2,000 miles of new liquids pipelines were brought into service, according to our Liquids Pipeline Projects database. Several of these recent infrastructure projects were dedicated to transporting a mix of natural gas plant liquids (NGPLs), which are produced at natural gas processing plants from raw natural gas streams. More »

During 2021, U.S. retail electricity prices rose at fastest rate since 2008

In 2021, the average nominal retail electricity price paid by U.S. residential electric customers rose at the fastest rate since 2008, increasing 4.3% from 2020 to 13.72 cents per kilowatthour (kWh), according to data from our latest Electric Power Monthly. This increase is similar to the change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which was 4.7% in 2021. More »