EIA increases U.S. crude oil production forecast for 2019 and 2020
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) revises its U.S. crude oil production forecast in each monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) based mainly on two factors: updates to EIA’s published historical data and EIA’s crude oil price forecast. In the November 2019 STEO, EIA increased its forecast of U.S. crude oil production in 2019 by 30,000 barrels per day (b/d) (0.2%) from the October STEO. EIA increased its 2020 crude oil production forecast by 119,000 b/d (0.9%) compared with the October STEO.
Nearly half of U.S. geothermal power capacity came online in the 1980s
Geothermal energy has been used to generate electricity in the United States since the early 1960s. The United States has 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of operating geothermal capacity, about half of which came online in the 1980s. EIA expects three plants with a combined capacity of 115 megawatts (MW) to come online in 2020. Nearly all U.S. geothermal capacity is located in California and Nevada.
Tags: electricity, power plants, geothermal, capacity
Brazil’s net metering policy leads to growth in solar distributed generation
Brazil’s growth in distributed generation from renewable resources—especially solar—has increased since it implemented net metering policies in 2012. As of mid-November 2019, owners have installed more than 135,000 renewable distributed generation systems in Brazil, totaling about 1.72 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, according to the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL).
Tags: generation, electricity, Brazil, renewables, solar
EIA's Heating Oil and Propane Update shows lower prices so far this winter
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Heating Oil and Propane Update (HOPU), prices at the start of the 2019–2020 winter heating season (October 1 through March 31) were 10% lower for heating oil and 22% lower for propane than at the start of the previous winter. HOPU is published as part of the State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP), a joint effort between EIA and several state energy offices to collect state-level residential heating oil and propane price data from October through March in states where heating oil and propane use is common.
Tags: prices, weather, heating oil, propane
U.S. natural gas production, consumption, and exports set new records in 2018
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Natural Gas Annual 2018 shows that the United States set new records in natural gas production, consumption, and exports in 2018. In 2018, dry natural gas production increased by 12%, reaching a record-high average of 83.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). This increase was the largest percentage increase since 1951 and the largest volumetric increase in the history of the series, which dates back to 1930. U.S. natural gas consumption increased by 11% in 2018, driven by increased natural gas consumption in the electric power sector. Natural gas gross exports totaled 10.0 Bcf/d in 2018, 14% more than the 2017 total of 8.6 Bcf/d. Several new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities came online in 2018, allowing for more exports.
EPA small refinery exemptions in the Renewable Fuel Standard explained
Note: RFS is the Renewable Fuel Standard program.
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates the amount of renewable fuels refineres must blend into the U.S. transportation fuel supply. As part of the RFS program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can grant annual waivers to some petroleum refineries, called small refinery exemptions (SREs), which are provided under conditions of economic hardship. Although these SREs lessen the number of tradable compliance credits that refineries can use to comply with the RFS program, actual biofuel consumption is influenced by additional market factors.
The Renewable Fuel Standard Program, RVOs, and RINs explained
Note: Conventional biofuel is the remainder of renewable fuels minus advanced biofuels and consists mainly of corn starch ethanol.
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a federal program that mandates the incorporation of renewable fuels into the nation’s transportation fuel supply. Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues RFS rulemakings with volume requirements for certain renewable fuel categories and sets those volumes through annual renewable volume obligations (RVO). RVOs are the volumetric biofuel targets for obligated parties such as refiners and importers of petroleum-based gasoline or diesel fuel.
EIA improves its propane and other hydrocarbon gas liquids data
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently improved multiple data series for hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) in its Monthly Energy Review. The updated data series reflect changes in how EIA defines liquefied petroleum gases to better align with industry practice.
The U.S. placed near-record volumes of natural gas in storage this injection season
Note: The data point for October 31, 2018, is an interpolated value based on the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report.
The amount of natural gas held in storage in 2019 went from a relatively low value of 1,155 billion cubic feet (Bcf) at the beginning of April to 3,724 Bcf at the end of October because of near-record injection activity during the natural gas injection, or refill, season (April 1–October 31). Inventories as of October 31 were 37 Bcf higher than the previous five-year end-of-October average, according to interpolated values in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report.
Tags: storage, natural gas
New natural gas pipelines are adding capacity from the South Central, Northeast regions
Note: Projects labeled as in service are in service as of November 1.
The United States is expected to add between 16 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and 17 Bcf/d of natural gas pipeline capacity in 2019, most of which was built to provide additional takeaway capacity out of supply basins. Of the 134 active natural gas pipeline projects the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks, 46 have entered or are expected to enter service in 2019. These projects will increase deliveries by pipeline to Mexico or to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the Gulf Coast region.
Tags: natural gas, pipelines, capacity