As stay-at-home orders and mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took effect and limited travel starting in the second half of March 2020, gasoline and jet fuel demand (as measured by product supplied) fell by near-record amounts, according to data in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Petroleum Supply Monthly. […]
Category: Today in Energy
U.S. fuel ethanol production and inventory changes have largely followed motor gasoline
U.S. fuel ethanol production fell dramatically during late March and in April 2020, driven by significant reductions in motor gasoline demand as a result of mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Fuel ethanol production fell to 537,000 barrels per day (b/d) in the week ending April 24, which was the lowest level […]
Canada is the largest source of U.S. energy imports
Canada is the largest source of U.S. energy imports and the second-largest destination for U.S. energy exports behind only Mexico. Energy is an important component of trade between Canada and the United States. In 2019, based on the latest annual Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, energy accounted for US […]
Lower crude oil prices will mean less exploration and development
According to the financial reports analyzed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), global expenditures related to oil and natural gas exploration and development (E&D) increased $42 billion (13%) for 102 publicly traded oil companies in 2019, totaling $361 billion. As a result of significant crude oil price declines in 2020, however, global proved reserves […]
U.S. natural gas storage capacity remained relatively unchanged in 2019
Underground natural gas storage capacity in the Lower 48 states has remained relatively flat since 2012. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) measures working natural gas storage capacity in two ways: design capacity and demonstrated peak capacity. Both measures of capacity were relatively unchanged in 2019; design capacity declined 0.4% and demonstrated peak capacity increased […]
Renewable diesel drives growth in 2019 biomass-based diesel imports
U.S. imports of biomass-based diesel, which include biodiesel and renewable diesel, grew 26% in 2019 to more than 27,000 barrels per day (b/d), reversing three years of decline. Imports of biomass-based diesel increased in 2019 because of the increase in renewable diesel imports from Singapore. […]
U.S. customers experienced an average of nearly six hours of power interruptions in 2018
Interruptions in electricity service vary in frequency and duration across the nearly 3,000 electric distribution systems in the United States. Power interruptions are caused by many factors, including weather, vegetation patterns, and utility practices. In 2018, power outage durations for U.S. electricity customers averaged 5.8 hours per customer. […]
The recent decline in light-duty vehicle sales has affected cars more than light trucks
The 729,000 vehicles sold in the United States in April 2020 amounted to the lowest total since early 2010. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of light-duty vehicle sales in April is the lowest in the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data series that dates back to 1976. Car sales have fallen by a larger […]
U.S. renewable energy consumption surpasses coal for the first time in over 130 years
In 2019, U.S. annual energy consumption from renewable sources exceeded coal consumption for the first time since before 1885, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Energy Review. This outcome mainly reflects the continued decline in the amount of coal used for electricity generation over the past decade as well as growth in […]
North American crude oil prices are closely, but not perfectly, connected
The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) front-month futures contract for West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the most heavily used crude oil price benchmark in North America, saw its largest and swiftest decline ever on April 20, 2020, dropping as low as -$40.32 per barrel (b) during intraday trading before closing at -$37.63/b. Prices have since recovered, […]
