โŒ

Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

Geopolitical developments contribute to elevated diesel prices

Global refinery margins for diesel have widened since late October and increased to their highest level all year, following refinery outages in Russia and in the Middle East and new sanctions on Russia's crude oil, leading to limited refinery production and a decreased global diesel supply. The impact was most pronounced in the Atlantic Basin, contributing to higher prices at the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp (ARA) shipping hub, a key benchmark for European prices, as well as at New York Harbor and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The higher global prices also affected prices in the United States because U.S. refiners can sell into both domestic and international markets.

U.S. average gasoline prices this Thanksgiving are about the same as last year

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, the U.S. retail price for regular-grade gasoline averaged $3.06 per gallon (gal), just 2 cents/gal higher than the same time last year. After adjusting for inflation, however, this year marks the lowest average gasoline price for the Monday before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend since 2020, when the pandemic disrupted gasoline demand and travel plans.

U.S. associated natural gas production increased 6% in 2024

U.S. production of associated dissolved natural gas, also known as associated natural gas, increased by 6% last year, mirroring the growth in crude oil production from the Permian region. Associated natural gas production averaged 18.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2024, according to data from Enverus DrillingInfo.

U.S. rig counts remain low as production efficiencies improve

The average number of active rigs per month that are drilling for oil and natural gas in the U.S. Lower 48 states has declined steadily over the past few years from a recent peak of 750 rigs in December 2022 to 517 rigs this October. The declining rig count reflects operators' responses to declining crude oil and natural gas prices and improvements in drilling efficiencies.

U.S. natural gas inventories enter winter at similar level to 2024, the most since 2016

Working natural gas in storage in the Lower 48 states ended the natural gas refill season (April 1-October 31) with more than 3,900 billion cubic feet (Bcf), according to estimates based on data from our Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report released on November 6. U.S. inventories are starting winter 2025-26 at about the same level as last year, the most since 2016. As of October 31, inventories are 4% above the five-year (2020-24) average after above-average injections into storage throughout much of the injection season.

U.S. natural gas prices rise unevenly across sectors

Driven by an increase in wholesale natural gas prices, retail U.S. natural gas prices for every sector have increased so far this year, although the increases are uneven across sectors. In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, we expect the 2025 annual average price of natural gas paid by electric power plants to increase by 37% and the price paid by industrial sector customers to increase by 21% compared with the 2024 averages. We forecast that natural gas prices for customers in the commercial and residential sectors will increase by less, at 4% each.

Low-sulfur bunker fuel sales have decreased since 2020

When the International Maritime Organization's lower marine sulfur limit known as IMO 2020 took effect in January 2020, commercial shippers pivoted sharply to fueling their vessels with low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO). In the years since, high-sulfur fuel oil has reclaimed some market share, as a growing number of commercial vessels install sulfur scrubbers that allow operators to use the heavier, cheaper fuel oils while complying with the new sulfur emission limits.

Brazil is expanding its liquefied natural gas import infrastructure

Companies operating in Brazil have expanded the country's liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification infrastructure since 2020, more than doubling its import capacity as the country seeks to diversify its energy supply and enhance energy security. Brazil's regasification capacity grew from 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2020 to 5.1 Bcf/d in August 2025.

U.S. biofuels production capacity growth slowed in 2024

The pace of capacity additions for U.S. biofuel production slowed in 2024, with production capacity increasing by a modest 3% from the start of 2024 to the start of 2025, according to our latest biofuels production capacity reports. A deceleration in production capacity in our category renewable diesel and other biofuels accounted for most of slowdown in growth. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable naphtha, and renewable propane make up virtually all of the other biofuels.

ERCOT increasingly meets rising demand with solar, wind, and batteries

Since 2021, electricity demand within the Texas electricity grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has steadily increased. In the first nine months of 2025, electricity demand in ERCOT, which manages about 90% of the state's load, reached a record high compared with the same period in previous years. Over those same months, ERCOT had the fastest electricity demand growth among U.S. electricity grids between 2024 and 2025. From January through September 2025, demand for electric power in ERCOT increased 5% compared with the same period in 2024 to 372 terawatthours (TWh), 23% more than the same months in 2021. Since 2023, wind and solar generation, especially utility-scale solar, have been the fastest-growing sources of electricity in ERCOT and are increasingly meeting rising demand.

U.S. natural gas exports to Mexico reach new records

U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 7.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in May 2025, the most of any month on record as Mexico's demand for natural gas, particularly in the electric power sector, increases. On an annual basis, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 6.4 Bcf/d in 2024, a 25% increase compared with 2019 and the highest on record in data going back as early as 1975.
โŒ