U.S. gross inputs to refineries, also known as refinery runs, have increased each year since 2009, most recently reaching a record high of 17.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018. However, based on its monthly refinery run data through…

Month: August 2019 (page 2)
Investor-owned utilities served 72% of U.S. electricity customers in 2017
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) electric power sector survey data, almost 3,000 electric distribution companies—or utilities—were operating in the United States in 2017. EIA classifies utilities into three ownership types: investor-owned utilities, publicly run or managed utilities,…
State-level average annual gasoline expenditures per capita ranged from $400 to $1,400
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) new Key Statistics and Indicators section of the State Energy Data System (SEDS) show that nominal per capita U.S. motor gasoline expenditures (the amount of money spent to consume motor gasoline in…
U.S. solar module imports partially recover after tariffs were imposed in early 2018
The United States imposed tariffs on imported silicon solar cells and modules in January 2018. Module imports decreased in the months following the tariffs’ announcement and effective date, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s monthly data of solar photovoltaic…
Australia is on track to become world’s largest LNG exporter
Australia is on track to surpass Qatar as the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, according to Australia’s Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science (DIIS). Australia already surpasses Qatar in LNG export capacity and exported more LNG than Qatar…
EIA uses the heat content of fossil fuels to compare and aggregate energy sources
The four end-use sectors in the United States—residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation—consume a mix of fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), as well as renewable energy sources and electricity, to meet their energy needs. To compare and aggregate data…
Rising corn prices and oversupply push ethanol operating margins to multiyear lows
Estimated operating margins for corn-based fuel ethanol plants in the Midwest decreased to multiyear lows in 2019, averaging about 3.5 cents per gallon (gal) through the first half of the year. Ethanol margins were at or near zero during June…
EIA introduces short-term forecasts for wholesale electricity prices
Beginning with the August edition of the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), published yesterday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is adding forecasts of wholesale electricity prices at representative hubs in 11 electricity supply regions of the Lower 48 states. EIA…
Energy expenditures per dollar of GDP are highest in energy-producing states
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS), every state saw increased total energy expenditures and total energy expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 compared with the previous year. Only…
United States sets new daily record high for natural gas use in the power sector
The United States likely set a new daily record on Friday, July 19, of 44.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for natural gas consumption by electric power plants, according to S&P Global Platts. U.S. power sector natural gas consumption exceeded the…