Natural gas storage design capacity increased slightly in 2017

Over the past four years, relatively little new underground natural gas storage capacity was built in the Lower 48 states. EIA measures natural gas storage capacity in two ways: design capacity and demonstrated maximum working gas volume (or demonstrated peak). In 2017, design capacity grew by about 1%, and demonstrated peak fell by 1%. More »

EIA projects that U.S. coal demand will remain flat for several decades

EIA projects U.S. coal disposition—domestic demand and coal exports—to remain relatively flat through 2050 in the Annual Energy Outlook 2018 (AEO2018) Reference case, even as many coal-fired power plants are retired. Coal disposition for the next three decades averages 750 million short tons per year (MMst), down from the peak of nearly 1.2 million tons in 2008. More »

EIA uses two simplified metrics to show future power plants' relative economics

EIA's long-term outlook for the electric power sector considers both the cost to build and operate power plants as well as the value those plants provide to the grid. A supplemental report to EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2018 (AEO2018) describes two simple measures of cost and value to show how certain technologies can be compared to determine the most economically attractive technologies, and in turn, the types of power plants most likely to be built. More »

U.S. net energy imports in 2017 fall to their lowest levels since 1982

Total net energy imports to the United States fell to 7.3 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2017, a 35% decrease from 2016 and the lowest level since 1982, when both gross imports and gross exports were much lower. More »

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports quadrupled in 2017

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached 1.94 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, up from 0.5 Bcf/d in 2016. As LNG exports increased, shipments went to more destinations. U.S. LNG exports in 2017, all of which originated from Louisiana's Sabine Pass liquefaction terminal, reached 25 countries. More »

EIA’s estimates for Texas crude oil production account for incomplete state data

Crude oil and lease condensate production data for Texas, published by EIA in its Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM) and by the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC), reflect differences in the treatment of incomplete and lagged data. Data published by state agencies are often incomplete when first published because of a combination of late reporting and processing delays. More »