A growing share of U.S. natural gas production is associated-dissolved natural gas (natural gas produced from oil wells), which is the result of increased crude oil production from low permeability, tight rock formations—Permian, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Niobrara, and Anadarko. In 2018, associated-dissolved natural gas production in these five major crude oil-producing regions was 12.0 billion […]
Category: Today in Energy
Participation in electricity customer choice programs has remained unchanged since 2013
After more than a decade of steady growth, the share of U.S. electricity sales served by non-utility retail power marketers has grown only slightly since 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) survey of electric utilities. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow some commercial and industrial customers to choose competitive retail […]
Most pumped storage electricity generators in the U.S. were built in the 1970s
Pumped storage plants for hydroelectric power in the Unites States were built primarily between 1960 and 1990; nearly half of the pumped storage capacity still in operation was built in the 1970s. Pumped storage power plants are the largest source of electricity storage technology used in the United States, both in terms of capacity and […]
Most utility-scale batteries in the United States are made of lithium-ion
Most of the utility-scale battery systems used for energy storage on the U.S. electric grid use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are known for their high-cycle efficiency, fast response times, and high energy density. Nearly all of the utility-scale battery systems installed in the United States in the past five years use lithium-ion technology. […]
EIA projects that natural gas consumption in Asia will continue to outpace supply
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest International Energy Outlook 2019 (IEO2019) Reference case, future growth in natural gas consumption is concentrated in developing nations—those outside of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)—especially in non-OECD Asian countries. Major non-OECD Asian countries include China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam. EIA expects annual […]
EPA refinery exemptions reduced renewable fuel blending requirements in 2018
On August 9, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had granted 31 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE) for the 2018 compliance year, or 4 fewer than were approved for the 2017 compliance year. As of October 2019, two SRE applications were pending. The SRE waivers effectively reduced the […]
U.S. petroleum product exports rose slightly in the first half of 2019
In the first half of 2019, the United States exported an average of 5.47 million barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum products, an increase of 19,000 b/d (0.3%) from the first half of 2018 and the slowest year-over-year growth rate for any half year in 13 years. Two factors that likely contributed to lower exports […]
China adds incentives for domestic natural gas production as imports increase
Rapid growth in China’s natural gas consumption has outpaced growth in its domestic natural gas production in recent years. China’s natural gas imports, both by pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG), accounted for nearly half (45%) of China’s natural gas supply in 2018, an increase from 15% in 2010. To increase domestic production of […]
The United States now exports crude oil to more destinations than it imports from
As U.S. crude oil export volumes have increased to an average of 2.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in the first seven months of 2019, the number of destinations (which includes countries, territories, autonomous regions, and other administrative regions) that receive U.S. exports has also increased. Earlier this year, the number of U.S. crude oil […]
Global energy consumption driven by more electricity in residential, commercial buildings
Energy used in the buildings sector—which includes residential and commercial structures—accounted for 20% of global delivered energy consumption in 2018. In its International Energy Outlook 2019 (IEO2019) Reference case, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that global energy consumption in buildings will grow by 1.3% per year on average from 2018 to 2050. In […]
