Recently, prices of high-sulfur crude oils have been declining relative to low-sulfur crude oils. Rising crude oil exports from OPEC members that produce mostly medium-sulfur or high-sulfur crude oils, also called sour crude oils, and higher natural gas prices have contributed to lower prices for sour crude oils relative to low-sulfur (sweet) crude oils. […]
Category: Today in Energy
In 2020, the value of energy trade between the United States and Canada declined
In 2020, the value of U.S. energy imports from Canada totaled $58 billion—accounting for more than one-fifth of the value of all U.S. imports from Canada. The value of U.S. energy imports from Canada fell by 31% in 2020 compared with 2019, and the value of U.S. energy exports to Canada fell 34%, according to […]
California hydroelectric facilities continue to respond to prices despite drought
Despite widespread, intense drought conditions, hydroelectric power plants in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, provided a significant amount of generation from April to September 2021. Although drought conditions reduced the water supply in California, hydroelectric generation during this period still increased in response to the higher […]
Warehouses were the most common U.S. commercial building type as of 2018
As of 2018, warehouse and storage buildings were the most common type of commercial building in the country, according to our most recent Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Our most recent CBECS was released in September 2021 and was based on buildings characteristics as of 2018. We estimate that the United States had just […]
Recent legislation would reduce the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
On Tuesday, November 23, the White House announced plans to make 50 million barrels of crude oil available to the market through a combination of exchanges and accelerating previously announced sales. With these sales and several other legislated drawdowns, SPR inventories could decline from 618 million barrels (as of October 1, 2021) to about 314 […]
Average U.S. gasoline prices are higher this Thanksgiving than any since 2012
The average price that consumers paid at the pump for U.S. regular gasoline on the Monday before Thanksgiving this year was $3.40 per gallon (gal). This price is $1.29/gal (62%) higher than last year and is the highest pre-Thanksgiving price since 2012 (in nominal terms), according to our latest Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. U.S. […]
Major U.S. utilities spending more on electricity delivery, less on power production
Over the past decade, major utilities in the United States have been spending more on delivering electricity to customers and less on producing that electricity. […]
Most planned U.S. natural gas-fired plants near Appalachia, Florida, and Texas
Between 2022 and 2025, 27.3 gigawatts (GW) of new natural gas-fired capacity is scheduled to come online in the United States, according to our latest . This added capacity would increase current capacity (489.1 GW as of August 2021) by 6%. Many of the planned natural gas-fired capacity additions are located close to major shale […]
EIA expands data coverage of biofuels in our Monthly Energy Review
In October 2021, we began publishing expanded data on biofuels other than ethanol in our (MER), including production, imports, feedstocks, and consumption. The expanded biofuels data provide a more detailed look at fuels previously grouped under renewable fuels except ethanol, which is now split into biodiesel, renewable diesel, and other biofuels. […]
EIA forecasts crude oil prices will decline during 2022
Since the third quarter of 2020, global consumption of crude oil and petroleum products has increased faster than production, which has caused lower inventory levels and higher crude oil prices. In our November Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that rising production from OPEC+ countries and the United States will lead to global liquid fuels […]
