U.S. retail gasoline prices heading into Labor Day are lower than last year

The U.S. average retail price for all formulations of regular gasoline on August 26, 2019, was $2.57 per gallon (gal), 25 cents/gal (9%) lower than the price at the same time last year. This drop in the gasoline price is a result of lower North Sea Brent crude oil prices (a global benchmark for crude oil and the most relevant determinant of U.S. gasoline prices), less gasoline demand, and higher gasoline inventories. More »

EIA introduces redesigned Energy Explained resource

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) redesigned Energy Explained resource includes enhanced navigation features, a more user-friendly interface, interactive data visualizations, and more. More »

EIA updates its U.S. energy consumption by source and sector chart

Energy consumption in the United States reached a record high of more than 101 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2018, barely surpassing the previous high recorded in 2007 by less than 0.3%. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has redesigned its U.S. energy consumption by source and sector chart to separate the electric power sector from the four end-use sectors. The new chart shows electricity retail sales to each end-use sector and the amount of electrical system energy losses within the electric power sector from generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. More »

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. Most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the SUMED Pipeline pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. More »

Sixteen mines in the Powder River Basin produce 43% of U.S. coal

More than 40% of coal produced in the United States comes from 16 mines in the Powder River Basin (PRB), a mining region primarily located in northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana. Four companies collectively own more than half of those PRB mines, and those 10 mines produced 87% of the Basin's coal in 2018. Two of those companies, Cloud Peak and Blackjewel, filed bankruptcy this year. The two other companies, Peabody and Arch Coal, are proposing a joint venture that involves some of the PRB mines. More »

The United States tends to produce lighter crude oil and import heavier crude oil

In 2018, total U.S. crude oil production grew by 17%, led by increased production of relatively light, less dense crude oil. The increase in light crude oil production is largely the result of the growth in crude oil production from shale and tight rock formations, which are now more accessible because of improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. More »