Latest Petroleum News

Latest News

  1. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the Patapsco River on March 26 has temporarily halted all shipping traffic from the Port of Baltimore. In this article, we examine implications for energy-related trade.
  2. U.S. natural gas production grew by 4% in 2023, or 5.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), to average 125.0 Bcf/d, according to our Natural Gas Monthly. The Natural Gas Monthly was recently updated with natural gas production data through December 2023. In 2023, three regions—Appalachia, Permian, and Haynesville—accounted for 59% of all natural gas production in the United States, similar to 2022, based on our Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). The DPR measures gross natural gas withdrawals in select onshore regions.
  3. According to preliminary data from our Electricity Data Browser, the least hydropower was generated in the western United States during the 2022–23 water year (October 1 through September 30) since at least 2001. Western region hydropower generation dropped by 11% from the previous water year to 141.6 million megawatthours (MWh). Hydropower generation in the western United States can vary significantly from year to year because the amount of precipitation influences generation.
  4. Natural gas prices at SoCal Citygate, the major price hub in Southern California, averaged $3.61 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in December 2023—the lowest December price since 2015 when adjusted for inflation—according to data from Natural Gas Intelligence. The main drivers for the low price this past December were:
  5. We increased our forecast prices for crude oil and petroleum products for the remainder of 2024 in our March Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) following the announcement that OPEC+ will extend the existing voluntary production cuts through the second quarter of 2024. We now forecast significantly less global oil production than world oil consumption through the first half of 2024, requiring draws on world petroleum stocks (inventory). Stock draws tend to increase oil prices.