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In-brief analysis
Feb 18, 2025

Consumption of renewable diesel continues general growth trend on the U.S. West Coast

monthly U.S. west coast renewable diesel consumption and supply sources

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly
Note: Renewable diesel consumption, which is defined as renewable diesel product supplied plus refinery and blender net inputs, is inflated because we do not collect renewable diesel export data. The difference between consumption and the sum of production, imports, and receipts reflects inventory changes.

Renewable diesel is increasingly replacing petroleum diesel on the U.S. West Coast, where state-level policies are attracting new production capacity and shipments to the region. The fuel continues to mostly be consumed in California but is also making up a substantial share of Oregon’s and Washington’s smaller distillate pools, according to quarterly data published by California, Oregon, and Washington.

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In-depth analysis
Feb 13, 2025

Petroleum liquids supply growth driven by non-OPEC+ countries in 2025 and 2026

annual change in petroleum and other liquids production

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, February 2025
Data values: Non-OPEC Petroleum and Other Liquids Production
Note: The OPEC and OPEC+ data series reflect those countries participating in the OPEC+ agreement. OPEC members Iran, Libya, and Venezuela are exempt from the agreement. Years 2025 and 2026 are forecasts.

We forecast that worldwide production of petroleum and other liquids in 2025 and 2026 will grow more in non-OPEC+ countries than in OPEC+ countries in our February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). We estimate that total world petroleum and other liquids supply increased by about 0.6 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024 and will increase by 1.9 million b/d in 2025 and 1.6 million b/d in 2026. Increasing crude oil production from four countries in the Americas—the United States, Guyana, Canada, and Brazil—drives this growth. Because of ongoing production restraint among OPEC+ countries, we forecast the group’s production to grow by 0.1 million b/d in 2025 and 0.6 million b/d in 2026.

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In-brief analysis
Feb 12, 2025

The cost of transporting coal to the U.S. electric power sector fell slightly in 2023

annual U.S. coal transportation costs

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report

We released new data on the U.S. electric power sector’s coal transportation costs. The release incorporates final data for 2023 from Form EIA-923, which we collect from electric power plant owners and operators. The data release based on our Form EIA-923 includes tables with costs, in nominal and real (2023) dollars, across regions, states, and modes of transportation. These transportation rates are calculated as a weighted average of the difference between the commodity cost and total delivered cost of coal shipments to plants in the electric power sector. In addition, the rates are based on the primary transport mode that a plant's owner or operator selects, but they may include other secondary or tertiary modes.

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In-depth analysis
Feb 11, 2025

China’s crude oil imports decreased from a record as refinery activity slowed

China annual crude oil imports

Data source: China General Administration of Customs, Bloomberg L.P.

Slower oil demand growth in 2024 led to less crude oil processed by China’s refineries and fewer crude oil imports compared with the record high set in 2023. China, the world’s largest importer of crude oil, received 11.1 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024, down from 11.3 million b/d in 2023. Even though total imports decreased about 2%, imports from some countries increased while others decreased.

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In-brief analysis
Feb 10, 2025

Recent cold snap results in fourth-largest withdrawal from underground natural gas storage

weekly net natural gas storage changes Lower 48 states

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report
Note: Weekly net changes in natural gas storage are netted across the East, Midwest, Mountain, Pacific, and South-Central regions.

Colder-than-normal temperatures across much of the United States in mid-January increased natural gas consumption, resulting in the fourth-largest reported weekly withdrawal from natural gas storage in the Lower 48 states, according to our Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR). During the week ending January 24, 2025, stocks fell by 321 billion cubic feet (Bcf), which was nearly 70% more than the five-year (2020–24) average withdrawal for the same week in January. With withdrawals in January totaling nearly 1,000 Bcf, U.S. natural gas inventories are now 4% below their previous five-year average after being 6% above the five-year average at the start of the 2024–25 heating season, which began in November.

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In-depth analysis
Feb 6, 2025

Natural gas-fired power plants have different owner types

U.S. annual natural gas-fired electricity generation

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report
Note: IPP=independent power producer

Natural gas-fired generating plants in the United States can be categorized by different ownership type, which can influence where individual plants are located, as well as how they operate and even the way fuel is purchased. Those different owners, through the investments they have made, have been instrumental in making natural gas the single-largest source used to generate electricity in the United States, with a 43% share of both capacity and energy output. EIA collects data for the different ownership types of natural gas-fired power plants.

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In-brief analysis
Feb 5, 2025

Rarely used oil, coal helped power New England during recent cold snap

Hourly electricity generation in the Northeast Independent System operator

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hourly Electric Grid Monitor
Note: EST=eastern standard time

Below average temperatures in the eastern United States during the week of January 19, 2025, resulted in high demand for electricity. On January 21 at 6:00 p.m. eastern time, ISO-New England (ISO-NE), the organization operating an integrated grid in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, recorded peak hourly demand of 19,600 megawatts (MW). Although demand was elevated, it was lower than the 20,308 MW that ISO-NE forecast peak demand would be in its 2024/2025 winter assessment published on November 7, 2024. Temperatures were more moderate in New England than in the Midwest, which tempered electricity demand somewhat in New England.

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In-brief analysis
Feb 4, 2025

U.S. coal exports reached a six-year record in June 2024

monthly U.S. gross coal exports

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook

Gross U.S. coal exports in June 2024 totaled 10 million short tons, the most in a month since October 2018, data from our Short-Term Energy Outlook data browser show. Annual average U.S. coal exports were 9.0 million short tons in 2024. U.S. coal exports have increased each year since 2020, when they averaged 5.8 million short tons amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In-brief analysis
Feb 3, 2025

Natural gas spot prices fell across key regional trading hubs in 2024

annual natural gas spot prices at select trading hubs

Data source: Natural Gas Intelligence
Note: Prices are adjusted for inflation based on the December 2024 Consumer Price Index.

Average natural gas spot prices at most major trading hubs in the Lower 48 states declined in 2024 compared with 2023 in real terms, according to data from Natural Gas Intelligence.

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In-brief analysis
Jan 30, 2025

U.S. nuclear generators import nearly all the uranium concentrate they use

U.S. uranium supply to commercial nuclear reactors

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, Domestic Uranium Production Report, and Uranium Marketing Annual Report

In 2023, U.S. nuclear generators used 32 million pounds of imported uranium concentrate (U3O8) and only 0.05 million pounds of domestically produced U3O8. Imports accounted for 99% of the U3O8 they used in 2023 to make nuclear fuel. Foreign producers predominantly supply the U.S. front-end nuclear fuel cycle, but federal policies have been implemented recently to build out the domestic U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently received $2.7 billion in congressional funding to help revive domestic fuel production for commercial nuclear power plants.

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In-brief analysis
Jan 29, 2025

Electric power sector has driven rising Pennsylvania natural gas consumption since 2013

monthly electricity generation by source in Pennsylvania

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report, Monthly Generation by State

Natural gas-fired electric power generation has increased in Pennsylvania since 2013 as the state has shifted toward natural gas as its main fuel source for electric power generation. In October 2024, natural gas-fired generation accounted for 57% of the electricity generated in Pennsylvania, more than twice the share in October 2013 (26%). Over the past decade, natural gas has become the primary fuel source for electricity generation in the state, surpassing coal-fired generation in 2016 on an annual basis and nuclear-powered generation in 2019. Natural gas-fired generation reached an all-time monthly peak in Pennsylvania of 15.3 million megawatthours (MWh) in July 2024, as hourly electricity demand peaked across multiple regions of the Lower 48 states due to widespread heatwaves.

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In-brief analysis
Jan 28, 2025

U.S. propane prices have traded higher so far this winter compared with last winter

Weekly U.S. propane prices during winter

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, State Heating Oil and Propane Program; Bloomberg, L.P.
Note: Wholesale prices are U.S. benchmark spot prices from Mont Belvieu, Texas.

U.S. wholesale and retail propane prices have been higher so far this winter heating season (October–March) than during the same period a year ago, largely because of colder weather in January and higher exports, according to data from our State Heating Oil and Propane Program. Prices have been higher despite relatively strong propane inventories heading into this winter heating season.

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In-brief analysis
Jan 27, 2025

Forecast wholesale power prices and retail electricity prices rise modestly in 2025

annual average U.S. wholesale electricity prices at select price hubs

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, January 2025

In our January Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we expect that U.S. wholesale power prices will average slightly higher in 2025 in most U.S. regions than last year, except in Texas and in the Northwest. We forecast that the 11 wholesale prices we track in STEO will average $40 per megawatthour (MWh) in 2025 (weighted by demand), up 7% from 2024. We expect the 2025 average U.S. residential electricity price will be 2% higher than the 2024 average, though after accounting for inflation, our forecast for U.S. residential prices remains relatively unchanged from 2024.

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In-brief analysis
Jan 24, 2025

New solar plants expected to support most U.S. electric generation growth

U.S. monthly electric power generating capacity - electric power sector

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), January 2025
Note: Capacity values represent the amount of generating capacity at utility-scale power plants (greater than 1 megawatt). Other renewables include geothermal, waste biomass, wood biomass, and pumped storage hydropower.

In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we expect that U.S. renewable capacity additions—especially solar—will continue to drive the growth of U.S. power generation over the next two years. We expect U.S. utilities and independent power producers will add 26 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity to the U.S. electric power sector in 2025 and 22 GW in 2026. Last year, the electric power sector added a record 37 GW of solar power capacity to the electric power sector, almost double 2023 solar capacity additions. We forecast wind capacity additions will increase by around 8 GW in 2025 and 9 GW in 2026, slight increases from the 7 GW added in 2024.

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In-depth analysis
Jan 23, 2025

EIA expects higher wholesale U.S. natural gas prices as demand increases

monthly henry hub natural gas prices

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), January 2025
Data values: Energy Prices and U.S. Macroeconomic Indicators and CO2 Emissions

We expect increases in the Henry Hub natural gas price in 2025 and 2026 as demand for natural gas grows faster than supply, driven mainly by more demand from U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, reducing the natural gas in storage compared with the last two years. In our January Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub natural gas spot price to increase in 2025 to average $3.10 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) and in 2026 to average $4.00/MMBtu from the record low set in 2024.

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