U.S. Energy Information Administration logo
Skip to sub-navigation
Filter by article type:
In-brief analysis
Oct 31, 2024

Share of natural gas production in U.S. tight oil plays increased over the last decade

average crude oil and gross natural gas production in select tight oil plays

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, October 2024 (Table 10b), and Enverus DrillingInfo
Note: 2024 represents year-to-date data through September. To calculate the barrel of oil equivalent, we use a conversion factor of 6,000 cubic feet of gross natural gas production per 1 barrel of oil.

Natural gas produced from the three largest tight oil-producing plays in the United States has increased in the last decade. Natural gas comprised 40% of total production from the Bakken, the Eagle Ford, and the Permian compared with 29% in 2014.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 30, 2024

Crude oil imports from Canada reached a record after pipeline expansion

monthly U.S. crude oil imports from Canada

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly

U.S. imports of crude oil from Canada reached a record of 4.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in July 2024 following the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline. July is the most recent month for which data are available in our Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM).

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 29, 2024

U.S. energy production has increased faster than energy consumption over the past 50 years

U.S. total energy production, consumption, and net imports

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review
Note: Positive net imports mean the United States imported more energy than it exported, while negative net imports mean the United States exported more energy than it imported. Data are for the first seven months of 1974 and 2024. Total energy includes coal, natural gas, petroleum, nuclear, and renewables. See primary energy consumption in the EIA Glossary.

In October 1974, in the wake of the 1973 Oil Embargo, the Federal Energy Administration—the predecessor of the U.S. Department of Energy—published the first issue of the Monthly Energy Review (MER), an overview of the energy produced and consumed in the United States. In the 50 years since that first publication, the U.S. energy sector has transformed.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 28, 2024

U.S. ethane production reached a record 3.0 million barrels per day in May 2024

monthly U.S. ethane production

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly

U.S. ethane production increased steadily over the last decade and reached a record of 3.0 million barrels per day (b/d) in May 2024. Ethane production in the first half of 2024 (1H24) averaged a record 2.8 million b/d, according to data from our Petroleum Supply Monthly. The increase was driven by more natural gas and ethane production in the Permian Basin, which spans Texas and New Mexico.

Read More ›
Top
In-depth analysis
Oct 24, 2024

U.S. shale natural gas production has declined so far in 2024

annual U.S. dry natural gas production

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook
Note: The formations included in our U.S. shale natural gas production estimates are determined by identified tight and shale formations. Year-to-date 2024=January–September.

U.S. natural gas production from shale and tight formations, which accounts for 79% of dry natural gas production, decreased slightly in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. If this trend holds for the remainder of 2024, it would mark the first annual decrease in U.S. shale gas production since we started collecting these data in 2000.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 23, 2024

Market dynamics vary at key natural gas pricing hubs

range of natural gas spot prices at key pricing hubs

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Note: $/MMBtu=dollars per million British thermal units

Pricing hubs provide transactional flexibility to buyers and sellers in the natural gas industry. The integrated North American market has close to 200 pricing hubs, which vary by size, location, type, liquidity, and age. Pricing hubs convey market information and make it easier for buyers and sellers to arrange natural gas deals in physical and financial markets across many time periods: intra-day, daily, weekly, balance-of-month, monthly, seasonally, and annually. Changes in prices at natural gas hubs tend to be reflected in movements in prices at nearby power market hubs or zones. A mix of private price reporting agencies and exchanges offer services and platforms to help buyers, sellers, and market observers obtain pricing information. Pricing hubs are dynamic; new ones are established or are retired based on market conditions and consumer preferences.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 22, 2024

U.S. construction costs rose slightly for solar and wind, dropped for natural gas in 2022

U.S. capacity-weighted average utility-scale construction cost by technology

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Generator Construction Costs and Annual Electric Generator Inventory

The average U.S. construction costs for solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbines in 2022 were close to 2021 costs, while natural gas-fired electricity generators decreased 11%, according to our recently released data. Average construction costs for solar generators increased by 1.7% in 2022, and for wind turbines they increased by 1.6%.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 21, 2024

Four new petroleum liquids pipelines have been completed in the United States since 2023

This TIE was updated with a new web link for the Port Neches Link on October 23, 2024.

U.S. liquids pipeline projects by completion year

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Liquids Pipeline Projects Database

Since 2023, pipeline companies have completed four new petroleum liquids pipeline projects in the United States—three crude oil pipeline projects and one hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) project—according to our recently updated Liquids Pipeline Projects Database. No new petroleum product pipeline projects were completed during this period. Petroleum product pipelines carry gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refinery products.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 18, 2024

Florida’s retail gasoline price stays stable after Hurricane Milton despite shortages

Florida's gasoline supply infrastructure

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, East Coast and Gulf Coast Transportation Fuels Markets

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s western coast on October 9 as a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane and accompanying rain, winds, and flooding disrupted key gasoline supply chains to the state, leaving hundreds of retail gasoline stations without fuel. However, the average retail price of regular gasoline in Florida has remained relatively stable in the storm’s aftermath, remaining flat at $3.04 per gallon (gal) this week, as supply chains began to recover.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 17, 2024

U.S. capacity to produce biofuels increased 7% in 2023

annual U.S. biofuels production capacity as of Jan 1


Capacity to produce biofuels increased 7% in the United States during 2023, reaching 24 billion gallons per year (gal/y) at the start of 2024, led by a 44% increase in a category we call renewable diesel and other biofuels. Other biofuels includes renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel (also known as sustainable aviation fuel), and renewable naphtha and gasoline.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 16, 2024

U.S. coal exports from the Port of Baltimore rebounded two months after bridge collapse

monthly U.S. coal exports from the Port of Baltimore

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. coal exports from the Port of Baltimore rebounded at the end of May 2024, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Shipments from the port’s two coal-loading terminals had stopped for almost two months following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore reopened on May 21.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 15, 2024

Global refinery margins fall to multiyear seasonal lows in September

regional september refining margins

Data source: Bloomberg L.P.
Note: The 3:2:1 crack spread is an indicator of refining margins, the short-term profit margin for oil refineries, which generally produce about 2 barrels of gasoline for every 1 barrel of distillate fuel oil. To estimate the refinery crack spreads, regional crude oil benchmarks were used (Brent for New York, Los Angeles, and ARA; Light Louisiana Sweet for the U.S. Gulf Coast; West Texas Intermediate for Chicago; and Dubai for Singapore). ARA=Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp

Refinery margins for petroleum refiners across the world are shrinking, indicating reduced profitability from refining crude oil and selling petroleum products. Declining margins are the result of relatively weak demand for petroleum products even as global refining capacity increases.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 11, 2024

Fewer tankers transit the Red Sea in 2024

Arabian peninsula maritime chokepoints

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

The amount of crude oil and oil products flowing through the Bab el-Mandeb, the southern chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea, decreased by more than 50% in the first eight months of 2024.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 10, 2024

U.S. hourly electricity demand peaked in July with widespread heatwaves

Hourly peak electricity demand in U.S. Lower 48 states

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hourly Electric Grid Monitor
Note: Chart shows maximum electricity demand each day based on hourly data converted to Eastern Daylight Time.

Last summer, U.S. electricity demand in the Lower 48 states was greatest at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 gigawatthours (GWh), based on data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. In our analysis, we calculate each day’s peak according to the hour with the highest electricity demand. This year’s U.S. summer hourly peak (745 GWh) was essentially the same as in 2023 (742 GWh) and in 2022 (743 GWh). On the other hand, U.S. generation from January through July was about 2,500 terawatthours (TWh), 4% more than the 2,397 TWh generated in the same period last year, according to our Electricity Power Monthly.

Read More ›
Top
In-brief analysis
Oct 9, 2024

Hurricane Milton nears landfall on Florida’s west coast, disrupts energy infrastructure

This TIE was updated with additional mapping.

Hurrican Milton's forecast path and nearby energy infrastructure

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Atlas map of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons

As of 8:00 a.m. eastern time on October 9, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday as a major hurricane on the west coast of Florida with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, creating the potential for significant disruptions to energy infrastructure.

Read More ›
Top