Data centers and cryptocurrency mining in Texas drive strong power demand growth
In the United States, electricity consumption is growing fastest in Texas, where the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages 90% of the load on the state’s power grid. One of the main sources of growing demand for power is large-scale computing facilities such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations, although their future demands […]
Utility-scale U.S. solar electricity generation continues to grow in 2024
In August 2024, utility-scale generation of solar electricity averaged 63.1 gigawatthours between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. each day in the Lower 48 states, 36% more than for the same hours in August 2023. Additions of solar generating capacity outpaced other resources in the U.S. electric power sector in 2023, and we expect this trend […]
China extracts commercially viable natural gas from deeper shale formations
China is a major natural gas importer by pipeline and the world’s largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In the last 10 years, the Chinese government has actively supported the development of unconventional natural gas resources to reduce import dependence and enhance energy security.
Data center owners turn to nuclear as potential electricity source
Last month, Constellation Energy announced a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to provide electricity to Microsoft data centers in the mid-Atlantic region from the Unit 1 reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
Category 3 Hurricane Helene nears landfall, disrupts energy infrastructure
As of 8:00 a.m. eastern time on September 26, Hurricane Helene was expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle late Thursday with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, creating the potential for significant disruptions to energy infrastructure. Hurricane Helene is the strongest hurricane to […]
U.S. net natural gas exports remain flat in the first half of 2024
In the first six months of 2024, U.S. net natural gas exports (exports minus imports) averaged 12.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), 1% (0.1 Bcf/d) more than the same period last year and 2% (0.3 Bcf/d) less than in 2023, according to our Natural Gas Monthly. Since 2019, increases in liquefied natural gas (LNG) […]
The United States is the world’s largest gasoline exporter
The United States is the world’s largest exporter of motor gasoline (finished gasoline plus gasoline blending components), supplying over 16% of total global exports. U.S. motor gasoline exports in 2023 averaged 900,000 barrels per day (b/d), equivalent to about 10% of domestic consumption and enough to fill up the tanks of over 1.5 million SUVs […]
Decline in natural gas price drove decrease in U.S. oil producer revenue in early 2024
Financial results for 36 publicly traded U.S. oil exploration and production (E&P) companies show that cash from operations in the first quarter of 2024 has decreased in real terms from the first quarter of 2023 due to lower natural gas prices.
Understanding petroleum product supplied—our proxy for consumption
EIA does not directly survey petroleum consumption; instead, we calculate a similar concept called product supplied from our surveys that span the U.S. petroleum industry. Although we use petroleum product supplied interchangeably with petroleum consumption, the two are not identical.
West Coast jet fuel margins fell in August because of high inventories
More jet fuel has been in U.S. West Coast inventories than over the previous five years for 29 out of 35 weeks so far in 2024, according to our Weekly Petroleum Status Report (WPSR). High inventories helped reduce Los Angeles regional crack spreads for jet fuel to an average of 5 cents per gallon (gal) […]