Latest Petroleum News

Latest News

  1. According to our Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), U.S. electricity generation from natural gas reached a record-high 619 billion kilowatthours (BkWh) during the most recent winter heating season (November 1–March 31), averaging more than 120 BkWh per month and accounting for 38% of the country's electricity generation mix. Electricity generation from natural gas increased in the United States this past winter due to increased demand for electricity and continued reductions in electricity generation from coal.
  2. U.S. propane exports reached a record 1.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in March 2023, the highest level since we began collecting this data in 1973. Propane is consumed globally for space heating and is used as a petrochemical feedstock.
  3. After 54 years of providing power to Pennsylvania and New York, the Homer City Generating Station in Pennsylvania will close by July 2023, according to the plant's owner. The 1,888 megawatt coal plant began generating electricity in 1969, when Units 1 and 2 entered service. Unit 3 was added in 1977.
  4. In 2022, annual natural gas consumption in China declined by 1%, or 0.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), from 2021, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights—the first decline in annual consumption since 1990, according to our International Energy Statistics. Slower economic growth, mainly resulting from widespread lockdowns associated with China's zero-COVID policies, prompted the drop in natural gas consumption. Government policies also reprioritized energy supply security, including growth in coal production, over emissions targets.
  5. In nominal terms, the average monthly electricity bill for residential customers in the United States increased 13% from 2021 to 2022, rising from $121 a month to $137 a month. After adjusting for inflation–which reached 8% in 2022, a 40-year high–electricity bills increased 5%. Last year had the largest annual increase in average residential electricity spending since we began calculating it in 1984. The increase was driven by a combination of more extreme temperatures, which increased U.S. consumption of electricity for both heating and cooling, and higher fuel costs for power plants, which drove up retail electricity prices.