Pipeline sending natural gas from western Canada to Chicago considers expanding capacity

Owners of the Alliance pipeline, one of the longest natural gas pipelines in North America, are in the early stages of assessing interest in expanding its capacity to transport natural gas from western Canada to Chicago, Illinois. More »

Most U.S. nuclear power plants were built between 1970 and 1990

As of 2016, the United States had 99 operating nuclear reactors at 61 plants across the country, with a capacity-weighted average age of 37 years. The oldest operating nuclear reactor in the United States was built in 1969. Watts Bar 2, which entered commercial service in 2016, was the first new reactor added since 1996. An additional four reactors are currently under construction. More »

Permian Basin oil production and resource assessments continue to increase

Crude oil production in the Permian Basin is expected to increase to an estimated 2.4 million barrels per day (b/d) in May, based on estimates from EIA’s Drilling Productivity Report. Between January 2016 and March 2017, oil production in the Permian Basin has increased in all but three months, even as domestic crude oil prices fell. More »

Ohio and Pennsylvania increased natural gas production more than other states in 2016

After reaching a record high of 79 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2015, U.S. marketed natural gas production fell to 77 Bcf/d in 2016, the first annual decline since 2005. Texas, the state with the most natural gas production, fell by 2.5 Bcf/d, while Ohio and Pennsylvania each increased by about 1.2 Bcf/d. More »

More than half of utility-scale solar photovoltaic systems track the sun through the day

The electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic (PV) system depends on the orientation and tilt of the PV panels, and in some cases, its ability to track the sun throughout the day. Because photovoltaic panels operate more efficiently when oriented directly at the sun, some systems use solar-tracking technology to increase electricity generation by rotating the panels along one or two axes. More »

Natural gas inventories end heating season above five-year average

Working natural gas in storage as of March 31, the traditional end of the heating season, totaled 2,051 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or almost 15% above the five-year average according to EIA's "Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report". The total inventory of U.S. natural gas in storage tends to follow seasonal patterns of injections through the summer and withdrawals during the winter. More »

Natural gas generators make up the largest share of overall U.S. generation capacity

In 2016, natural gas-fired generators accounted for 42% of the operating electricity generating capacity in the United States. Natural gas provided 34% of total electricity generation in 2016, surpassing coal to become the leading generation source. More »

The API gravity of crude oil produced in the U.S. varies widely across states

API gravity is one of the key characteristics of crude oil that, along with other characteristics such as sulfur content, is used by refiners when evaluating different crude streams for processing into petroleum products. In 2016, the majority (51%) of the 8.4 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil produced in the Lower 48 states was light oil, or less dense oil with an API gravity of 40.1 or above. More »

EIA expects natural gas to be largest source of U.S. electricity generation this summer

EIA’s April 2017 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) expects that electricity generation fueled by natural gas during the summer months of June, July, and August will be lower than last summer, but it will continue to exceed that of any other fuel, including coal-fired generation, for the third summer in a row. More »

Most coal plants in the United States were built before 1990

Coal-fired electricity generators accounted for 25% of operating electricity generating capacity in the United States and generated about 30% of U.S. electricity in 2016. Most coal-fired capacity (88%) was built between 1950 and 1990, and the capacity-weighted average age of operating coal facilities is 39 years. More »

More Chinese crude oil imports coming from non-OPEC countries

China is the world’s largest net importer of crude oil, and in recent years, China’s crude oil imports have increasingly come from countries outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). More »

Retail gasoline prices this summer are expected to be slightly higher than in 2016

Drivers in the United States will pay an average of $2.46 per gallon (gal) this summer for regular gasoline, according to forecasts in EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Gasoline prices from April through September are expected to be 23 cents/gal higher than the average price last summer, but this price is still nearly 70 cents/gal below the previous five-year average. More »

Gulf of Mexico crude oil production, already at annual high, expected to keep increasing

U.S. crude oil production in the Federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) set an annual high of 1.6 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2016, surpassing the previous high set in 2009 by 44,000 b/d. In January 2017, GOM crude oil production increased for the fourth consecutive month, reaching 1.7 million b/d. More »

U.S. crude oil imports increased in 2016

Gross U.S. crude oil imports in 2016 rose to an average of 7.9 million barrels per day (b/d), 514,000 b/d more than the 2015 average. Net crude oil imports increased by a smaller amount (460,000 b/d), as U.S. crude oil exports rose despite a decline in U.S. crude oil production. More »

U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions fell 1.7% in 2016

U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2016 totaled 5,170 million metric tons (MMmt), 1.7% below their 2015 levels, after dropping 2.7% between 2014 and 2015. These recent decreases are consistent with a decade-long trend, with energy-related CO2 emissions 14% below the 2005 level in 2016. More »

Rising solar generation in California coincides with negative wholesale electricity prices

On March 11, utility-scale solar generation in the territory of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) accounted for almost 40% of net grid power produced during the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is the first time CAISO has achieved these levels, reflecting an almost 50% growth in utility-scale solar photovoltaic installed capacity in 2016. More »

U.S. households’ heating equipment choices are diverse and vary by climate region

Data from the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that the majority of American households use one of three types of equipment as their main source of heat during the winter: natural gas furnaces, electric furnaces, or electric heat pumps. The range of equipment and fuels, however, varies across and within U.S. climate regions. More »

U.S. energy consumption rose slightly in 2016 despite a significant decline in coal use

Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2016 totaled 97.4 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), a slight increase from the 2015 level. Consumption of coal decreased by 9%, nearly offsetting increases in the consumption of renewables, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear fuel. More »

U.S. natural gas storage capacity increased slightly in 2016

For the past three years, underground natural gas storage capacity in the Lower 48 states has changed by relatively small increments compared to the changes in 2012 and 2013. No new storage facilities have entered service since 2013, so recent annual changes in both storage design capacities and demonstrated maximum working gas volumes reflect the aggregate effect of small changes at existing facilities. More »

U.S. oil producers increased investment in fourth quarter of 2016

Capital expenditure for 44 U.S. onshore-focused oil production companies increased $4.9 billion (72%) between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the fourth quarter of 2015 based on their public quarterly financial statements. This increase in investment spending was the largest year-over-year increase for any quarter by these 44 companies since at least the first quarter of 2012. More »