Within the past week

State Energy Data System: Other Petroleum Products for 2011

Feb 15, 2013
Annual state-level estimates of consumption, prices, and expenditures for other petroleum products for 2011.

EIA now delivers monthly electricity data in interactive data browser

Feb 15, 2013
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently posted an electricity data browser to show generation, consumption, fossil fuel receipts, stockpiles, retail sales, and electricity prices. The data appear on an interactive web page and are updated each month.

Short-Term Energy Outlook Supplement: Key drivers for EIA's short-term U.S. crude oil production outlook

Feb 14, 2013
Crude oil production increased by 790,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) between 2011 and 2012, the largest increase in annual output since the beginning of U.S. commercial crude oil production in 1859. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. crude oil production to continue rising over the next two years represented in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO).

Few transportation fuels surpass the energy densities of gasoline and diesel

Feb 14, 2013
Energy density and the cost, weight, and size of onboard energy storage are important characteristics of fuels for transportation. Fuels that require large, heavy, or expensive storage can reduce the space available to convey people and freight, weigh down a vehicle (making it operate less efficiently), or make it too costly to operate, even after taking account of cheaper fuels.

Thailand Country Analysis Brief

Feb 14, 2013
Thailand is a net importer of oil and natural gas and relies on fossil fuels to meet a majority of its primary energy consumption. The country’s natural gas production has expanded in the past two decades to meet increasing demand from the power sector and other industries. In response to the growing demand, the government seeks to promote alternative energy sources to diversify its fuel mix as well as increase investment in upstream oil and gas developments.

Gabon Country Analysis Brief

Feb 13, 2013
Gabon is the sixth-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Aging oil fields, coupled with the lack of major new finds, have caused oil output to decline by about one-third since its peak in 1997. However, the rate of decline has slowed in recent years, as international oil companies operating in the country invested in life-expansion projects at mature fields and brought online moderate levels of new production. Currently, there is heightened interest in Gabon’s offshore pre-salt potential. Since 2011, there have been a few discoveries; however, appraisal and exploratory drilling will continue to determine whether field development at those sites is economically viable.

Alkylation is an important source for octane in gasoline

Feb 13, 2013
Alkylation (al-kuh-ley-shun) is a secondary refinery unit operation that many refineries in the United States have because it adds high octane hydrocarbons to motor and aviation gasoline. High octane hydrocarbons are needed to help prevent autoignition of gasoline (knocking) in an engine and to meet recommended engine octane ratings

Short-Term Energy Outlook - Market Prices and Uncertainty Report

Feb 12, 2013
Crude oil prices moved higher in January and out of the trading range they had been in for much of fourth quarter 2012 (Figure 1). The Brent front month futures contract averaged $112.35 per barrel in January, an increase of about $3 per barrel from its December average, and denoted the highest monthly average for the crude oil benchmark since September 2012. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil front month futures prices also increased in January, averaging $94.83 per barrel. Prices also continued to move higher in early February.

Short-Term Energy Outlook

Feb 12, 2013
EIA expects that the Brent crude oil spot price, which averaged $112 per barrel in 2012 and rose to $119 per barrel in early February 2013, will average $109 per barrel in 2013 and $101 per barrel in 2014. The projected discount of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil to Brent, which averaged $18 per barrel in 2012, averages $9 per barrel in 2014 as planned new pipeline capacity lowers the cost of moving midcontinent crude oil to the Gulf Coast refining centers.

Newer U.S. homes are 30% larger but consume about as much energy as older homes

Feb 12, 2013
Analysis from EIA's most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) shows that U.S. homes built since 2000 consume only 2% more energy on average than homes built prior to 2000, despite being on average 30% larger.

Within the past 30 days

Saudi Arabia Country Analysis Brief

Feb 11, 2013
Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids in 2012, the world’s largest holder of crude oil reserves, and the world’s second largest crude oil producer behind Russia. It is the largest consumer of petroleum in the Middle East, particularly in the area of transportation fuels and direct burn for power generation. Domestic consumption growth has been spurred by the economic boom due to historically high oil prices and large fuel subsidies. Saudi Arabia was the world’s 13th largest consumer of total primary energy in 2009, of which about 60 percent was petroleum-based.

Wind industry installs almost 5,300 MW of capacity in December

Feb 11, 2013
Approximately 40% of the total 2012 wind capacity additions (12,620 MW) came online in December, just before the scheduled expiration of the wind production tax credit (PTC).

An introduction to spark spreads

Feb 8, 2013
The spark spread is a common metric for estimating the profitability of natural gas—fired electric generators. The spark spread is the difference between the price received by a generator for electricity produced and the cost of the natural gas needed to produce that electricity. It is typically calculated using daily spot prices for natural gas and power at various regional trading points.

EIA begins posting daily energy prices on Today in Energy webpage

Feb 7, 2013
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has begun posting a set of key energy commodity spot and futures prices on the Today in Energy webpage. These prices provide a daily snapshot of energy markets in the United States.

South China Sea Regional Analysis Brief

Feb 7, 2013
Stretching from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast, the South China Sea is one the most important trade routes in the world and a potential source of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas. Several of the countries bordering the sea declare ownership of two island chains, the Spratly and Paracel Islands, to claim the surrounding sea and its resources. Almost a third of global crude oil and over half of global LNG trade passes through the sea.

Electricity Wholesale Market Data

Feb 7, 2013
Spreadsheets contain peak prices, volumes, and the number of transactions at ten electricity trading hubs covering most regions of the United States. Data from ICE (IntercontinentalExchange) through February 1, 2013.

Stadiums and arenas use efficient, high wattage lamps

Feb 6, 2013
Most sports stadiums and indoor arenas use high intensity discharge (HID) lamps for almost all of their overhead lighting needs. On average, stadium lights have much higher wattage than other outdoor lighting applications such as billboards, roadways, and parking lots. While HID lamps are very efficient, they require significant time to warm up and achieve full brightness after being extinguished. This characteristic contributed to the length of the delay in last Sunday's Super Bowl game after a power disruption knocked out some of the stadium lighting in the Superdome.

Domestic Uranium Production Report - Quarterly

Feb 6, 2013
Fourth quarter 2012 update of uranium production in the United States and operating status of U.S. uranium mills and plants.

Rail traffic reflects more oil production, less coal-fired electricity generation

Feb 5, 2013
The record increase in U.S. crude oil production during 2012 and the significant decline in coal use for domestic electricity generation were reflected in the movement of those two commodities by rail last year. Crude oil and petroleum products accounted for the biggest increase in railcar loadings among commodities in 2012, while coal had the largest decline. Notwithstanding these changes, coal remained by far the dominant category of carload shipments, accounting for 41% of total carloads, compared to a 4% share for all petroleum and petroleum products combined.

U.S. household expenditures for gasoline account for nearly 4% of pretax income

Feb 4, 2013
Gasoline expenditures in 2012 for the average U.S. household reached $2,912, just under 4% of income before taxes. This was the highest percentage of household income spent on gasoline in the last decade, with the exception of 2008. These expenditures as a percentage of household income are still low when compared to the early 1980s, when the estimated portion of household income spent on gasoline surpassed 5%.

Petroleum Marketing Monthly

Feb 1, 2013
In this issue of the Petroleum Marketing Monthly, data show crude oil prices continued to fall in November. Additionally, refiner sales data show prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, and other finished products experienced significant month-to-month decreases, while Prime Supplier sales data indicate consumption of finished petroleum products in the United States largely declined.

Monthly Biodiesel Production Report

Feb 1, 2013
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released new data today showing national and regional monthly biodiesel production for November 2012. In addition to biodiesel production, data included producer sales, producer stocks, and feedstock inputs.

Company Level Imports

Feb 1, 2013
Imports data at the company level collected from the EIA-814 Monthly Imports Report.

State Energy Data System: Distillate Fuel Oil, Residual Fuel Oil, and Kerosene for 2011

Feb 1, 2013
Annual state-level estimates of consumption, prices, and expenditures for distillate fuel oil, residual fuel oil, and kerosene for 2011.

Turkey Country Analysis Brief

Feb 1, 2013
Over the last two years, Turkey has seen the fastest growth in energy demand in the OECD, and unlike a number of other OECD countries in Europe, its economy has avoided the prolonged stagnation that has characterized much of the continent for the past few years. Concurrent with the economic growth, the country has experienced a sharp increase in energy demand and has increased its imports of oil, natural gas, and coal.

Petroleum Supply Monthly

Feb 1, 2013
Supply and disposition of crude oil and petroleum products on a national and regional level. The data series describe production, imports and exports, movements and inventories.

Weather and other events can cause disruptions to gasoline infrastructure and supply

Feb 1, 2013
The gasoline supply chain has five main parts: producing or importing crude oil; importing gasoline; refining the crude oil into gasoline; blending gasoline with ethanol at distribution terminals; and selling the gasoline at retail stations. Between each part, various storage and distribution logistics steps are involved to move and store both crude oil and gasoline. Disruptions can affect any part of the supply chain.

Natural Gas Monthly

Jan 31, 2013
The January Natural Gas Monthly, featuring data for November 2012, has been released. Monthly dry production of 2,001 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or 66.7 Bcf/day, increased over the revised October daily production rate of 66.3 Bcf/day. Total consumption of 2,154 Bcf set a record for the highest consumption reported for November.

State CO2 Emissions

Jan 31, 2013
These estimates of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) are based on the States Energy Data System. The state data include a summary table with total energy-related CO2 by state beginning in 1990, a table with emissions by fuel in 2010 and a table with emissions by sector in 2010. Detailed tables for individual states provide emissions by fuel and sector for data beginning in 1980. Documentation for methodology is also included on the page.

2012 Brief: U.S. ethanol prices and production lower compared to 2011

Jan 31, 2013
Spot prices for U.S. fuel ethanol were lower throughout most of 2012 compared to 2011.

Congo (Brazzaville) Country Analysis Brief

Jan 31, 2013
Congo (Brazzaville) is the fifth-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa. A vast majority of oil exploration activities and production in Congo comes from offshore fields, which many also contain associated natural gas. New deepwater production that started in 2008 helped to temporarily reverse declining output. However, most of the country’s oil fields are maturing and any future boost to production depends on field development at deepwater areas and new discoveries. The Italian company Eni is also pursuing exploration and development of oil sands in the south of Congo.

Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales

Jan 31, 2013
The Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales 2011 report provides information, illustrations and State-level statistical data on end-use sales of kerosene; No.1, No. 2, and No. 4 distillate fuel oil; and residual fuel oil. State-level kerosene sales include volumes for residential, commercial, industrial, farm, and all other uses. State-level distillate sales include volumes for residential, commercial, industrial, oil company, railroad, vessel bunkering, military, electric utility, farm, on-highway, off-highway construction, and other uses. State-level residual fuel sales include volumes for commercial, industrial, oil company, vessel bunkering, military, electric utility, and other uses.

Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report

Jan 31, 2013
Monthly natural gas gross withdrawals estimated from data collected on Form EIA-914 (Monthly Natural Gas Production Report) for Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Other States and Lower 48 States. Alaska data are from the State of Alaska and included to obtain a U.S. Total.

Qatar Country Analysis Brief

Jan 30, 2013
Qatar is the world’s leading supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG), having exported nearly 3.6 trillion cubic feet in 2011. Of that total, almost 50 percent went to Asia while 42 percent went to European markets. In addition to its LNG operations, Qatar is one of just three countries with operational gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities, which it uses to produce a range of refined petroleum products.

Stretches of Upper Mississippi River near record-low levels

Jan 30, 2013
As a result of last year's drought, stretches of the Upper Mississippi River have approached record lows. These low water levels have jeopardized commercial barge traffic shipping agricultural and energy commodities on the river. Recent rock blasting and dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and rainfall in the near-term forecast are expected to provide some relief.

Electric Power Annual 2011

Jan 30, 2013
The newly released Electric Power Annual presents 11 years (2001 - 2011) of National-level data on electricity generating capacity, electricity generation and useful thermal output, fuel receipts, consumption, and emissions. This year EIA has expanded it to incorporate final versions of many of the preliminary tables traditionally published in the Electric Power Monthly. A cross-reference table is also available to assist locating equivalent tables from prior editions.

China consumes nearly as much coal as the rest of the world combined

Jan 29, 2013
Coal consumption in China grew more than 9% in 2011, continuing its upward trend for the 12th consecutive year, according to newly released international data. China's coal use grew by 325 million tons in 2011, accounting for 87% of the 374 million ton global increase in coal use.

Monthly Energy Review

Jan 28, 2013
EIA's most comprehensive report on recent integrated energy statistics. Preliminary estimates indicate that the transportation sector accounted for 72 percent of total U.S. estimated petroleum consumption, which includes fuel ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable fuels blended into petroleum. The industrial sector accounted for 23 percent of total U.S. estimated petroleum consumption, the residential sector 3 percent, the commercial sector 2 percent, and the electric power sector 1 percent.

Coking is a refinery process that produces 19% of finished petroleum product exports

Jan 28, 2013
Coking is a refinery unit operation that upgrades material called bottoms from the atmospheric or vacuum distillation column into higher-value products and, as the name implies, produces petroleum coke—a coal-like material. Exports of petroleum coke accounted for about 19% of the nation's finished petroleum product exports through October 2012 with most going to China and other Asian countries.

Coal stockpiles at electric power plants were above average throughout 2012

Jan 25, 2013
Increased competition between fuels as well as a warm winter 2011-12 led to lower consumption of coal and, thus, higher coal stockpiles at electric power plants in the United States through November 2012. Stockpiles in November were above the levels of 2011 as well as the five-year average for an eleventh straight month.

What are renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and how do they affect renewable electricity generation?

Jan 25, 2013
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are policies designed to increase electricity generation from renewable resources, including wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. While there is no national-level renewable portfolio standard, many states have established their own.

What is an oil refinery?

Jan 25, 2013
A refinery is an industrial complex that manufactures petroleum products, such as gasoline, from crude oil and other feedstocks. Many different types of refineries exist across the country. What differentiates one refinery from another are their capacities and the types of processing units used to produce these petroleum products. This article describes some key refinery processes and provides links to more in-depth articles about the individual processes.

Northeastern Winter Natural Gas and Electricity Alert

Jan 25, 2013
Current status of natural gas and electricity markets in New York and New England during the ongoing cold snap.

New aggregation programs drive consumer participation in Illinois electricity choice

Jan 24, 2013
Participation in electricity residential consumer choice programs increased faster in Illinois in 2012 than in any other state—an exception among retail electric choice programs that have had mixed success.

Electricity Wholesale Market Data

Jan 24, 2013
Spreadsheets contain peak prices, volumes, and the number of transactions at ten electricity trading hubs covering most regions of the United States. Data from ICE (IntercontinentalExchange) through January 18, 2013.

Prime Supplier Report

Jan 23, 2013
The latest Prime Supplier Report presents data collected through November 2012 on Form EIA—782C, "Monthly Report of Prime Supplier Sales of Petroleum Products Sold for Local Consumption." These data measure primary petroleum product deliveries into the States where they are locally marketed and consumed.

How much electric supply capacity is needed to keep U.S. electricity grids reliable?

Jan 23, 2013
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the electric reliability organization certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and enforce reliability standards for three major electrical interconnections serving the United States, issues a reliability assessment each year.

Electricity Monthly Update

Jan 23, 2013
This issue contains data for November 2012 as well as a feature article on how photovoltaic (PV) solar technology dominates retail electricity net-metering programs throughout the United States. This issue also shows that coal-fired generation in the United States increased 6.2 percent compared to November 2011 and discusses how this November’s nuclear outage season was different than previous years.

Electric Power Monthly

Jan 23, 2013
Data are for November 2012, during which net generation in the United States was up 0.5 percent from November 2011. Retail sales of electricity were up 1.4 percent from November 2011. The average U.S. retail price of electricity in November 2012 remained flat at 9.58 cents/kWh when compared to November 2011.

Political risks focus attention on supply of Venezuelan oil to the United States

Jan 22, 2013
Uncertainty about the health of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, has raised interest in understanding Venezuela's contribution to U.S. oil supply. Venezuela, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), ranks among the 15 largest global oil producers and is the United States's fourth-largest source of imported oil, behind Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico.

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