Natural Gas demand going up this summer
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:05 am
Non-Stop records for U.S. natural gas-based electricity . Forbes
As the hot months linger, it will be natural gas that is leaned on most to supply the electricity that we need to run our air conditioners and keep us cool. Generally, U.S. gas demand for power in summer is 35-40% higher than what it was five years ago, with so much more coming. The good news is regions across the country are expected to have plenty of reserves to keep up with power demand. From 2019-2025 alone, EIA expects U.S. coal capacity to plummet nearly 25% to 176,000 MW, with nuclear falling 15% to 83,000 MW. In contrast, new combined cycle gas plants will grow capacity almost 30% to around 310,000 MW. Remember that these are official U.S. Department of Energy estimates, not coming from the industry itself. In other words, our Department of Energy concludes that gas is the future.
Power-sector trends point to higher GHGs . E&E News
This year is starting to look a lot like 2018 for America's power sector. That's good news for natural gas, less so for coal and power-sector carbon emissions. Coal generation has continued to plummet in 2019. Electricity generation from coal fell 8% in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the same time last year, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The black rock represented just 26% of U.S. electricity production in the first three months of the year. The number is especially notable because winter is traditionally a strong season for coal. Cold temperatures in the Northeast and Midwest once brought increases in coal production. These days, natural gas is more likely to pick up the slack. Gas generation was up 10% in the first quarter over 2018 levels, and now accounts for 34% of American electricity production.
Mexico is our most important natural gas export market . Forbes
U.S. natural gas production has surged as a consequence of the shale revolution. After hitting the lowest point in decades in 2005, U.S. natural gas production has risen nearly every year since. Along the way, the U.S. became the world's top natural gas producer. In 2018, U.S. natural gas production was 73% higher than in 2005. Another consequence is that U.S. export trade in natural gas skyrocketed. In 2005, the U.S. exported about 700 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas, primarily to Canada and Mexico by pipeline. By 2018, total natural gas exports had increased by a factor of five to 3.6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Most of this growth was in exports to Mexico, which imported 1.7 Tcf of U.S. natural gas in 2018. This is a far greater total than for any other country, and is in fact more than all liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to all countries.
As the hot months linger, it will be natural gas that is leaned on most to supply the electricity that we need to run our air conditioners and keep us cool. Generally, U.S. gas demand for power in summer is 35-40% higher than what it was five years ago, with so much more coming. The good news is regions across the country are expected to have plenty of reserves to keep up with power demand. From 2019-2025 alone, EIA expects U.S. coal capacity to plummet nearly 25% to 176,000 MW, with nuclear falling 15% to 83,000 MW. In contrast, new combined cycle gas plants will grow capacity almost 30% to around 310,000 MW. Remember that these are official U.S. Department of Energy estimates, not coming from the industry itself. In other words, our Department of Energy concludes that gas is the future.
Power-sector trends point to higher GHGs . E&E News
This year is starting to look a lot like 2018 for America's power sector. That's good news for natural gas, less so for coal and power-sector carbon emissions. Coal generation has continued to plummet in 2019. Electricity generation from coal fell 8% in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the same time last year, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The black rock represented just 26% of U.S. electricity production in the first three months of the year. The number is especially notable because winter is traditionally a strong season for coal. Cold temperatures in the Northeast and Midwest once brought increases in coal production. These days, natural gas is more likely to pick up the slack. Gas generation was up 10% in the first quarter over 2018 levels, and now accounts for 34% of American electricity production.
Mexico is our most important natural gas export market . Forbes
U.S. natural gas production has surged as a consequence of the shale revolution. After hitting the lowest point in decades in 2005, U.S. natural gas production has risen nearly every year since. Along the way, the U.S. became the world's top natural gas producer. In 2018, U.S. natural gas production was 73% higher than in 2005. Another consequence is that U.S. export trade in natural gas skyrocketed. In 2005, the U.S. exported about 700 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas, primarily to Canada and Mexico by pipeline. By 2018, total natural gas exports had increased by a factor of five to 3.6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Most of this growth was in exports to Mexico, which imported 1.7 Tcf of U.S. natural gas in 2018. This is a far greater total than for any other country, and is in fact more than all liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to all countries.