Within the past week

EIA survey shows Gulf Coast natural gas plants recovering from hurricane outages

Sep 13, 2012
In response to Hurricane Isaac, EIA invoked its emergency-activation survey Form EIA-757B. The survey showed that Isaac caused considerable disruption to natural gas processing infrastructure.

Working natural gas storage capacity grows 3% year-over-year

Sep 12, 2012
EIA estimates that the demonstrated peak working gas capacity for underground storage in the Lower 48 states rose 3%, or 136 billion cubic feet (Bcf), to 4,239 Bcf in 2012 compared with 2011. EIA's report compares data from April to April; since April 2012, EIA analysts said 7.5 Bcf has been added to working gas storage capacity cited in the report, and they estimated that another 32 Bcf could potentially be added by year-end.

Peak Underground Working Natural Gas Storage Capacity

Sep 12, 2012
The annual update of the Peak Underground Working Natural Gas Storage Capacity report, featuring working gas capacity levels as of April 2012, has been released. The demonstrated peak working gas capacity for U.S. underground working natural gas storage for the lower-48 States is estimated at 4,239 billion cubic feet (Bcf) as of April 30, 2012, an increase about 3 percent since last year at this time. Working gas design capacity also increased by about 1 percent, to 4,498 Bcf. The field-level data as of December 31, 2011 are available in the Natural Gas Information Query System.

Pad drilling and rig mobility lead to more efficient drilling

Sep 11, 2012
Developments in drilling methods and technology, such as "pad" drilling, are leading to efficiency gains for oil and natural gas producers.

Short-Term Energy Outlook - Market Prices and Uncertainty Report

Sep 11, 2012
Crude oil prices rose during the first half of August and were relatively constant during the second half of the month, remaining at the higher levels. The Brent and WTI crude oil benchmarks settled at $113.49 and $95.53 per barrel, respectively, on September 6, with Brent increasing by $7.53 per barrel and WTI increasing by $6.62 per barrel since August 1. Both Brent and WTI have been in narrow trading ranges over the last few weeks, with settlement prices for Brent and WTI staying within $3 dollar per barrel ranges since August 17.

Short-Term Energy Outlook

Sep 11, 2012
Higher crude oil prices, refinery outages, a pipeline disruption, and concerns over Hurricane Isaac's impact on the Gulf Coast, the United States' major refining region, contributed to higher gasoline prices during August. EIA has increased the average regular-gasoline retail price forecast for the third quarter of 2012 to $3.66 per gallon from $3.49 per gallon in last month's Outlook. EIA expects retail gasoline prices to begin declining later this month as the gasoline market recovers and transitions from summer-grade to winter-grade gasoline specifications.

STEO radio spots

Sep 11, 2012
EIA launched its energy news radio service with the release of the September Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). EIA's radio service provides free short broadcast stories on EIA energy data reports and analysis to radio stations nationwide. The initial stories focus on the outlook for U.S. crude oil and natural gas production. You can also sign up for an RSS feed to receive notice of the latest EIA broadcast energy stories automatically.

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions down in 2011

Sep 10, 2012
Annual energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions fell 2.4% in 2011 compared to the level in 2010. Several factors combined to produce this drop, including slower economic growth, weather, and changes in the prices of fuels, which played out differently in major economic sectors. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have declined in the United States in four out of the last six years.

Within the past 30 days

Natural gas demand at power plants was high in summer 2012

Sep 7, 2012
Natural gas use for power generation rose this summer because of hot-weather-driven electricity demand for air conditioning coupled with low natural gas prices. According to Bentek Energy, estimated daily natural gas use to produce electric power (also called power burn) averaged 26.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) so far in 2012 (Jan 1 - Aug 15), up 24% compared to the same period for 2011.

NRG-GenOn acquisition plan would create the largest independent power producer

Sep 6, 2012
In late July 2012, the electric power company NRG announced plans to acquire GenOn, another independent power producer with assets in some shared markets, which would create a new company with 47 gigawatts of capacity in 21 states. The combined company would be the largest independent power producer in the United States, although the acquisition is still pending approval.

Wholesale Market Data

Sep 6, 2012
Spreadsheets contain peak prices, volumes, and the number of transactions at ten electricity trading hubs covering most regions of the United States. Data from ICE (IntercontinentalExchange) through August 31, 2012.

Strait of Hormuz is chokepoint for 20% of world’s oil

Sep 5, 2012
International crude oil and liquefied fuels movements depend on reliable transport through key chokepoints. In 2011, total world crude oil and liquefied fuels consumption amounted to approximately 88 million barrels per day (bbl/d), and more than one-half was moved by tankers on fixed maritime routes. Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes, some so narrow that restrictions are placed on the size of the vessel that can navigate through them.

Petroleum Marketing Monthly

Sep 4, 2012
In the latest issue of the Petroleum Marketing Monthly, data show crude oil prices underwent considerable decline in June 2012, as did prices for finished petroleum products. Prime Supplier sales data show consumption of gasoline, diesel fuel, and other finished petroleum products increased again during June.

Electric grid operators monitoring drought conditions

Sep 4, 2012
Prolonged drought can affect power plants that rely on large volumes of fresh water for a variety of reasons. Though there have been few reported problems this year, lower water levels are a potential concern for grid operators and system planners during periods of extended drought.

China Country Analysis Brief

Sep 4, 2012
China’s robust economic growth and thirst for energy resources in the past decade has driven it to become one of the top global energy consumers. China has the largest oil and gas production in the Asia-Pacific region and the largest coal production in the world, but the country’s escalating energy demand is increasing its reliance on imports and greater energy supply security.

Drought increases price of corn, reduces profits to ethanol producers

Aug 31, 2012
Drought conditions in Midwestern states have reduced expectations for the amount of corn that may be harvested in 2012, and contributed to a 35% rise in the price of corn from June 18 to August 29. During the same time period, the spread between ethanol and corn prices (known as the 'crush spread') declined by $0.22 dollars per gallon.

Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report

Aug 31, 2012
Monthly natural gas gross withdrawals estimated from data collected on Form EIA-914 (Monthly Natural Gas Production Report) for Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Other States and Lower 48 States. Alaska data are from the State of Alaska and included to obtain a U.S. Total.

Natural Gas Monthly

Aug 31, 2012
The August Natural Gas Monthly, featuring data for June 2012, has been released. It was another record-setting month for total consumption of natural gas for June with 1,847 Billion cubic feet (Bcf) consumed, 12 percent above the previous high for total consumption reached for June in 2011. Deliveries of natural gas to the electric power sector of 884 Bcf led the strong consumption trend, again reflecting continued displacement of coal with natural gas and coming in at more than 25 percent of electric power use for June 2011. Dry natural gas production for June stayed relatively stable for the third straight month at 1,961 Bcf or 65.4 Bcf per day.

Company Level Imports

Aug 30, 2012
Imports data at the company level collected from the EIA-814 Monthly Imports Report -- Includes crude oil imports from the Persian Gulf for January - June 2012

Working and Net Available Shell Storage Capacity

Aug 30, 2012
Revised 2011 Storage Capacity data: March 2011 September 2011

Petroleum Supply Annual, Volume 2

Aug 30, 2012
Final monthly statistics for the supply and disposition of crude oil and petroleum products.

Petroleum Supply Annual, Volume 1

Aug 30, 2012
Final annual data for the supply and disposition of crude oil and petroleum products.

Petroleum Supply Monthly

Aug 30, 2012
Supply and disposition of crude oil and petroleum products on a national and regional level. The data series describe production, imports and exports, movements and inventories.

Drought has significant effect on corn crop condition, projected ethanol production

Aug 30, 2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported a significant rise in the proportion of poor and very poor corn crops this summer, due largely to the extreme drought across much of the center of the nation. The corn crop in the affected region is a main feedstock for ethanol, which is blended into gasoline.

Monthly Biodiesel Production Report

Aug 30, 2012
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released new data today showing national and regional monthly biodiesel production for June 2012. In addition to biodiesel production, data included producer sales, producer stocks, and feedstock inputs.

What is the role of hydroelectric power in the United States?

Aug 29, 2012
The importance of hydropower as a source of electricity generation varies by geographic region. While hydropower accounted for 8% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2011, it provided over half of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest. Because hydroelectric generation relies on precipitation, it varies widely from month to month and year to year.

Hurricane Isaac affects U.S. Gulf Coast energy infrastructure

Aug 29, 2012
Hurricane Isaac is a category one hurricane, significantly less severe than Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike in 2005 and 2008, but it has affected Gulf Coast energy infrastructure. The slow-moving but large hurricane with sustained winds of 80 miles per hour made landfall at 6:45 p.m. Central Time Tuesday along the coastline of southern Louisiana. Federal emergency officials believe that these characteristics of the storm suggest that flooding from rainfall is likely to pose larger risks than wind.

Monthly Energy Review

Aug 29, 2012
EIA's most comprehensive report on recent integrated energy statistics. Preliminary data indicate that, in May 2012, total energy consumption in the U.S. residential sector equaled 1.4 quadrillion Btu, which was virtually unchanged from May 2011.

Norway Country Analysis Brief

Aug 28, 2012
Norway, the largest holder of natural gas and oil reserves in Europe, provides much of the oil and gas consumed on the continent. Norway is the second largest exporter of natural gas in the world after Russia, and the seventh largest exporter of oil.

Worst drought in decades could affect U.S. energy markets

Aug 28, 2012
Despite the imminent landfall of Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf Coast, the United States is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades, as measured by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Droughts have relatively well-understood impacts on food crops and markets. But droughts can also affect energy markets.

Projected natural gas prices depend on shale gas resource economics

Aug 27, 2012
Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the size of the economically recoverable U.S. shale gas resource base and the cost of producing those resources. Across four shale gas resource scenarios from the Annual Energy Outlook 2012, natural gas prices vary by about $4 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2035.

Hurricane Isaac: Energy-related information

Aug 27, 2012
Energy-related information

Heating fuel choice shows electricity and natural gas roughly equal in newer homes

Aug 24, 2012
Homes built since about 1970 use electricity and natural gas as their main space heating fuel in roughly equal proportions, a stark contrast to homes built before 1970, when natural gas dominated heating fuel choice. Other fuels such as fuel oil, propane, wood, and kerosene are more likely to be used as heating fuels in homes built before 1970.

The Availability and Price of Petroleum and Petroleum Products Produced in Countries Other Than Iran

Aug 24, 2012
The fourth in a series of reports required by section 1245 (d) (4) (A) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, which requires that, not later than 60 days from enactment and every 60 days thereafter, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) “submit to Congress a report on the availability and price of petroleum and petroleum products produced in countries other than Iran in the 60-day period preceding the submission of the report.”

Electric Power Monthly

Aug 24, 2012
Data are for June 2012, during which net generation in the United States fell 1.7 percent from the June 2011 level. Consumption of coal for power generation fell 14.7 percent compared to June 2011. The average retail price of electricity for June 2012 was 10.18 cents per kilowatthour, down 1.6 percent from where it had been in June 2011.

Electricity Monthly Update

Aug 24, 2012
This issue contains a feature article detailing weather events and their effects on electricity outages. Also, for the first month since October 2011, the monthly average spot price for Henry Hub natural gas ($2.53 / MMBtu) was higher than the monthly average spot price for Central Appalachian coal ($2.46 / MMBtu). Coal stocks decreased for the second month in a row, after increasing for eight straight months from August 2011 to April 2012. Twenty-nine States had as many or more cooling degree days than June of last year, and 42 had more than the 30-year normal.

Bolivia Country Analysis Brief

Aug 23, 2012
Hydrocarbons are an important element of Bolivia’s economy, one of the poorest and least developed in Latin America. Its energy sector was nationalized in 2006, although the state has implemented policies to incentivize private firms to build new investments and increase production.

Large hospitals tend to be energy-intensive

Aug 23, 2012
Large hospitals consumed 458 trillion British thermal units, about 5.5% of the total delivered energy used by the commercial sector in 2007, a much larger share than their percentage of total commercial floorspace. EIA recently released data from the 2007 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) that highlights large hospitals' energy-related characteristics for all major fuels: electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and district heat.

Electricity Wholesale Market Data

Aug 23, 2012
Spreadsheets contain peak prices, volumes, and the number of transactions at ten electricity trading hubs covering most regions of the United States. Data from ICE (IntercontinentalExchange) through August 17, 2012.

Oman Country Analysis Brief

Aug 22, 2012
Facing declining oil production, Oman continues to be the region’s leading non-OPEC oil exporter. This is largely attributed to Oman’s implementation of novel enhanced oil recovery methods.

Merger of Progress Energy and Duke Energy created largest U.S. electric utility

Aug 22, 2012
The July 2, 2012 merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy created the largest electric utility in the United States (measured by number of customers). Now called the Duke Energy Corporation (Duke), the new company has over 7 million retail customers spanning six states. It also owns about 67 gigawatts of generating capacity across the eastern United States. This merger follows the recent merger between Constellation and Exelon, which created the third largest utility in the United States.

World Oil Transit Chokepoints

Aug 22, 2012
Large volumes of global oil shipments are moved by tankers through chokepoints, or narrow channels along widely used global sea routes. The blockage of a chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs.

Crude oil prices peaked early in 2012

Aug 21, 2012
Crude oil prices rose during the first quarter of 2012 as concerns about possible international supply disruptions pushed up petroleum prices. Prices then fell during the second quarter before turning sharply upward at the start of the third quarter.

Prime Supplier Report

Aug 21, 2012
The latest Prime Supplier Report presents data collected through June 2012 on Form EIA—782C, "Monthly Report of Prime Supplier Sales of Petroleum Products Sold for Local Consumption." These data measure primary petroleum product deliveries into the States where they are locally marketed and consumed.

Natural gas, renewables dominate electric capacity additions in first half of 2012

Aug 20, 2012
During the first half of 2012, 165 new electric power generators were added in 33 states, for a total of 8,098 megawatts (MW) of new capacity. Of the ten states with the highest levels of capacity additions, most of the new capacity uses natural gas or renewable energy sources. Capacity additions in these ten states total 6,500 MW, or 80% of the new capacity added nationally in the first six months of 2012.

Energy Characteristics and Energy Consumed in Large Hospital Buildings in the United States in 2007

Aug 17, 2012
Data and brief analysis of energy characteristics found in large hospitals in 2007. The data include estimates of building characteristics, energy sources, end uses, energy management features, energy consumption, and water consumption for hospital buildings greater than 200,000 square feet.

Electric generator dispatch depends on system demand and the relative cost of operation

Aug 17, 2012
The variable operating cost of electric power generators is a key factor in determining which units a power system operates (or "dispatches") to meet the demand for electricity. Other things being equal, plants with the lowest variable operating costs are generally dispatched first, and plants with higher variable operating costs are brought on line sequentially as electricity demand increases.

Energy needed to produce aluminum

Aug 16, 2012
Aluminum production in the United States generally takes two forms, with very different energy requirements. Primary production involves making aluminum products from raw material or ingots, which is highly energy intensive, especially electricity intensive. Secondary production involves recycling aluminum scrap to form new products, a significantly less energy-intensive process. Aircraft use primary aluminum because of quality and consistency restrictions, while beverage cans and automotive castings often use secondary aluminum.

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