As part of a supplement to our Short-Term Energy Outlook, we analyzed how drought conditions could affect hydroelectric generation in California this summer. California hydroelectric generation would be 48% less this summer in an alternative case that assumes drought conditions compared with a case that assumes relatively normal water conditions. This shortfall would need to […]
Category: Today in Energy
Nearly 90% of U.S. households used air conditioning in 2020
According to the most recent results from the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 88% of U.S. households use air conditioning (AC). Two-thirds of U.S. households use central AC or a central heat pump as their main AC equipment. […]
Memorial Day real gasoline prices highest since 2012, near record levels
On May 23, heading into this Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline was $4.59 per gallon (gal), the highest inflation-adjusted (real) price since 2012. On a nominal basis, this price is the all-time highest price for gasoline recorded in our weekly Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, which dates back to […]
Beneficial use of power sector combustion byproducts exceeded material disposed in 2020
Combusting fuel for electricity generation creates solid byproducts, which have decreased in recent years as some fuels—especially coal, the source of nearly all of these byproducts—have been used less frequently in the United States. In 2020, for the first time since we began collecting these data in 2008, larger amounts of these byproducts were put […]
European petroleum tanker rates rise due to geopolitical instability and marine fuel costs
Petroleum tanker rates for routes originating in Europe rose to record highs in April 2022 because of geopolitical instability related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and rising marine fuel prices, also known as bunker fuel. Dirty tanker rates for Aframax-sized vessels originating in the Black Sea in southeast Europe increased to $32.10 per metric […]
FERC approves new natural gas pipeline projects to increase U.S. exports
Our recently updated Natural Gas Pipeline Project Tracker tracks recently approved and completed natural gas pipeline projects. In the first quarter of 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved three projects intended to increase U.S. natural gas exports via pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Our tracker also lists pipelines that were completed […]
U.S. retail diesel prices increase to over $6 per gallon in the Northeast
On May 16, 2022, the average U.S. on-highway retail diesel fuel price was $5.61 per gallon (gal), a $2.00/gal increase from January 3. Although retail diesel prices have increased across the entire United States, prices in the Northeast have increased the most and are now among the highest in the country. On May 16, the […]
EIA expects solar and wind to be larger sources of U.S. electricity generation this summer
In our Summer Electricity Outlook, a supplement to our May 2022 Short-Term Energy Outlook, we expect the largest increases in U.S. electric power sector generation this summer will come from renewable energy sources. These increases are the result of new capacity additions. We forecast utility-scale solar generation between June and August 2022 will grow by […]
Stronger U.S. dollar contributes to higher crude oil prices in international markets
The price of Brent crude oil, the world benchmark, has increased in 2022, partly as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In addition, a strong U.S. dollar means that countries that use currencies other than the U.S. dollar pay more as crude oil prices increase. Since June 1, 2021, the Brent crude oil […]
Natural gas production in the Bakken region grew while crude oil fell in 2021
Annual natural gas production (measured as gross withdrawals) in North Dakota’s Bakken region increased by 9% in 2021, even as the region’s crude oil production declined by 6%, according to our Drilling Productivity Report. […]
