Southern California's natural gas infrastructure may face constraints this summer

(Fri, 08 Jun 2018) Regional natural gas infrastructure issues in Southern California could affect electricity reliability this summer, according to separate studies recently released by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and the Aliso Canyon Technical Assessment Group. Depending on natural gas infrastructure changes and storage operations this summer, these issues could also have implications for the upcoming winter.

U.S. households with more vehicles travel more but use additional vehicles less

(Thu, 07 Jun 2018) Households in the United States with more vehicles not only travel more, but they often put more miles on their most-used (primary) vehicle compared with households with fewer vehicles, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Households with just one vehicle drove an average of about 11,100 miles per year, while households with more than five vehicles traveled a total of about 41,800 miles; each additional vehicle within a household had less average use.

Distillate fuel oil was the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017

(Wed, 06 Jun 2018) Distillate fuel continued to be the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017, averaging 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) of gross exports. U.S. distillate exports went to 79 different destinations in 2017, particularly to markets in Central America, South America, and Europe. The proximity of U.S. Gulf Coast refineries to Mexico and to Central and South America combined with high demand in these regions led to higher U.S. distillate exports to these locations.

EIA reports track U.S. crude oil production statistics and trends

(Mon, 04 Jun 2018) With increasing crude oil prices and rig counts over the past several months, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) continues to closely monitor U.S. crude oil production trends. EIA publishes several reports that cover current crude oil production conditions and how recent trends may affect the near-term outlook for the oil industry.

Costs of different battery storage technologies depend on technical characteristics

(Fri, 01 Jun 2018) Capital costs for large-scale battery storage systems installed across the United States differ depending on technical characteristics. Systems are generally designed to provide either greater power capacity (a battery’s maximum instantaneous power output) or greater energy capacity (the total amount of electricity that can be stored or discharged by a battery system).

Gasoline futures prices are below distillate futures prices, rare for this time of year

(Thu, 31 May 2018) During the spring and summer months, gasoline futures prices are generally higher than distillate futures prices by about 5 cents to 10 cents per gallon (gal). Not only is demand for gasoline in the United States higher in the spring and summer, but the gasoline sold in those months must be summer-grade gasoline, which is more costly to produce.

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