(Mon, 07 May 2018) EIA expects nearly 32 gigawatts (GW) of new electric generating capacity will come online in the United States in 2018, more than in any year over the past decade. Although renewables such as wind and solar accounted for 98% of the 2 GW added so far this year (based on data for January and February), EIA expects about 21 GW of natural gas-fired generators will come online in 2018.
(Mon, 07 May 2018) In EIAâs <em>Annual Energy Outlook 2018</em> Reference case, U.S. nuclear power generating capacity is projected to decline from 99.3 gigawatts (GW) to 79.1 GW over the projection period of 2017â50. To address some of the uncertainty surrounding this projection, this Issues in Focus article presents sensitivity cases under different assumptions for oil and natural gas availability, nuclear power unit costs, and carbon policies.
As LIBOR increases, stresses on shipping industry balance sheets, cash flows and earnings also rise. With rates still at relatively low levels in historic terms, further increases are likely, and for a highly capital-intensive sector like shipping, this will undoubtedly weigh heavily on already debt-laden companies.
(Fri, 04 May 2018) EIA is hosting its 2018 Energy Conference on Monday, June 4, and Tuesday, June 5, in Washington, DC, where attendees will get up-to-date information on a wide set of emerging energy issues. This two-day event provides an opportunity to meet and network with energy analysts, decision makers, and EIA staff. Last year, more than 900 people from industry, government, and academia attended the conference.
The US government forecasts that summertime gasoline prices this year will be at their highest level since 2014, when Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” was at the top of all the music charts and Andrew Garfield still played Spider-Man.
(Thu, 03 May 2018) Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from various feedstocks, including refined vegetable oils, recycled cooking oils, and rendered animal fats. Different feedstocks produce biodiesel with distinct qualities that must be considered when blending biodiesel with petroleum diesel for use in transportation.
(Wed, 02 May 2018) Growth in Canadian crude oil production has outpaced expansions in pipeline takeaway capacity and, along with past pipeline outages, has driven Canadian crude oil prices lower and increased Canadian crude oil exports by rail to the United States. However, the outlook for increased volumes of Canadian crude oil shipped by rail to the United States is highly uncertain despite significant U.S. demand for Canadian crude oil, specifically on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
A rare cargo of Brazilian Polvo crude has made its way to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, according to data from US Customs and S&P Global Platts Analytics.
(Tue, 01 May 2018) U.S. tight oil production increased in 2017, accounting for 54% of total U.S. crude oil production, in part because of the increasing productivity of new wells. Since 2007, the average first full month of oil production from new wells in regions tracked by EIAâs <em>Drilling Productivity Report</em> (DPR) has generally increased. These growing initial production rates have helped tight oil production to increase despite slowdowns in drilling activity when oil prices fell.
OPEC would benefit from more transparency about oil prices. The group has geared its efforts to rebalancing the market, but its ultimate goal is surely to maximize revenues for its members. Putting a number on this target would be helpful.
