RBN Energy
Early Access
Thursday, 7/17/2025
Tuesday, 7/15/2025
The European Union (EU) has taken a number of steps in recent years to end its reliance on Russian natural gas, which accounted for nearly half of the bloc’s supplies before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But while the changes happening in Europe might provide a boost for global LNG exporters, including projects in operation or under development in the U.S., the EU’s policy shifts have also introduced greater uncertainty around demand. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the increasing difficulty in predicting EU gas demand and what it means for U.S. exporters and the rest of the global LNG market.
Analyst Insights
Analyst Insights are unique perspectives provided by RBN analysts about energy markets developments. The Insights may cover a wide range of information, such as industry trends, fundamentals, competitive landscape, or other market rumblings. These Insights are designed to be bite-size but punchy analysis so that readers can stay abreast of the most important market changes.
By Christine Groenewold - Wednesday, 7/16/2025 (2:15 pm)
Report Highlight: U.S. Propane Billboard
The EIA reported total U.S. propane/propylene inventories had a build of 4.4 MMbbl for the week ended July 11, which was more than industry expectations for an increase of 2.3 MMbbl and more than the average build for the week of 2.4 MMbbl.
By Martin King - Wednesday, 7/16/2025 (12:45 pm)
Natural gas consumption for power generation (“power burn”) in Canada’s most populous province of Ontario is on track for a monthly record based on data compiled in RBN’s Canadian NatGas Billboard.
Recently Published Reports
| Report | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|
| TradeView Daily Data | TradeView Daily Data - July 16, 2025 | 5 hours 22 min ago |
| TradeView Daily Data | TradeView Daily Data - July 16, 2025 | 5 hours 25 min ago |
| U.S. Propane Billboard | U.S. Propane Billboard Weekly - July 16, 2025 | 8 hours 13 min ago |
| Crude Oil Billboard | Crude Oil Billboard Weekly - July 16, 2025 | 8 hours 46 min ago |
| NATGAS Appalachia | NATGAS Appalachia Weekly – July 16, 2025 | 10 hours 51 min ago |
Pages
Daily Energy Blog
Monday, 7/14/2025
Category:
Financial
The uncertainty and angst spurred by the ongoing trade war doesn’t seem to have dampened foreign companies’ interest in acquiring upstream and midstream energy assets in the U.S. The recent rumor — still unconfirmed — that Mitsubishi Corp. is in talks to acquire Aethon Energy Management’s massive holdings in the Haynesville for a reported $8 billion is only the latest indication that overseas interest may be stronger than ever. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the latest round of foreign investments in U.S. energy and what’s driving those deals. We’ll also look at the Aethon assets on the block.
Friday, 7/11/2025
Category:
Crude Oil
The Wink to Webster Pipeline, operated by ExxonMobil, stands out as the largest crude oil pipeline by capacity exiting the prolific Permian Basin in West Texas. What makes it even more of a midstream icon is the company’s hands-on management of the entire process, from the production well to the long-haul run to delivery to ExxonMobil’s refineries. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll examine Wink to Webster’s complicated ownership structure, how it connects directly to terminals run by its owners and its destination flexibility.
Thursday, 7/10/2025
Category:
Power
Drilling techniques originally developed to unlock oil and gas from shale formations are increasingly being adapted to access and extract heat from deep underground rock formations, enabling the generation of electricity from geothermal sources. And while geothermal’s share of total U.S. electricity generation remains quite small, it may be poised to accelerate, opening up new opportunities for companies in the oil and gas sector. In today’s RBN blog, we explain the basics of geothermal energy, its main advantages and drawbacks, and how U.S. expertise in oil and gas comes into play.
Wednesday, 7/09/2025
Category:
Financial
You might have thought the flurry of acquisitions and buyout deals that midstream companies entered into over the past couple of years would have satisfied their evident desire to refocus, expand and reshape their businesses. But you’d be wrong. In the first half of 2025 — a period of considerable uncertainty in the energy industry — midstream players continued to buy and sell pipelines and other important assets at a frenetic pace. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss some of the more interesting recent transactions and what they tell us about the midstream space.
Tuesday, 7/08/2025
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
Alberta’s petrochemical industry received bad news in late April when Dow, one of the world’s largest petrochemical companies, announced that it was delaying construction on an immense expansion of its ethane cracker in Fort Saskatchewan, AB, only a little more than a year after sanctioning the project. Although the length of the delay remains uncertain, the slowdown has created unwanted ripples across other projects that were tied to the expansion, especially for companies working to provide a substantial increase in ethane and natural gas supplies that will be required by the project. In today’s RBN blog, we take a closer look at the delay and what it might mean for Alberta’s energy industry.
Monday, 7/07/2025
Category:
Natural Gas
The Marcellus/Utica has massive natural gas reserves, but daily, weekly and annual production in the three-state shale play is limited by three key factors: in-region demand, takeaway capacity and gas prices. In recent years, the basin’s output has been rangebound between 34 and 36 Bcf/d and Appalachian producers see only modest gains in 2025. But a handful of pipeline projects and rising gas demand from power generators suggest the Marcellus/Utica may finally be on the verge of a production breakout. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the leading E&Ps’ production forecasts for 2025 and the prospects for considerably higher output by the end of this decade.
Thursday, 7/03/2025
Category:
Natural Gas
It’s shaping up to be an incredible year for U.S. LNG growth, with record levels of feedgas demand and exports along with progress on the regulatory front, as the Trump administration has cleared away hurdles that had previously stalled project development. Now, Cheniere Energy has announced a positive final investment decision (FID) on its Corpus Christi Midscale expansion. In today’s RBN blog, we take a closer look at the Midscale project and others that could move forward this year.
Friday, 7/04/2025
Category:
Natural Gas
Marcellus/Utica natural gas production grew by leaps and bounds in the 2010s, but the pace of growth has slowed dramatically in recent years, mostly due to takeaway constraints. Finally, the prospects for renewed growth are improving. New pipeline capacity out of Appalachia is coming online — especially to the booming Southeast, and maybe the Gulf Coast too. New LNG export capacity is about to be commercialized. And a lot of new gas-fired generating capacity — much of it tied to planned data centers — is under development within (or very near) the Marcellus/Utica region. In today’s RBN blog, we examine the three big gas-demand drivers behind the shale play’s impending renewal.
Wednesday, 7/02/2025
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
Canada’s energy industry has seen more than its share of merger-and-acquisition activity this year. The latest big deal involves the midstream sector, with Keyera agreeing on June 17 to buy Plains Midstream Canada’s NGL business in Canada for C$5.15 billion ($3.75 billion). The purchase will transform Alberta-focused Keyera into a nationwide NGL machine and caps its very busy first half of 2025. In today’s RBN blog, we take a closer look at the agreement and how it ties into other recent initiatives by the Canadian midstreamer.
Tuesday, 7/01/2025
Category:
Government & Regulatory
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took several steps in June to slash red tape and speed the construction of natural gas projects in the U.S. interstate and export markets. This is the latest in state and federal efforts to reduce the years-long legal battles around energy infrastructure and quicken the development of vital projects such as pipelines and LNG terminals. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll highlight the recent efforts to remake and improve the permitting process.
Monday, 6/30/2025
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
The details of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, announced June 26 by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and confirmed by China, remain sparse. Once they are finalized, the requirement for U.S. exporters to obtain a Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) license to send ethane to China should be lifted, but the effect on trade flows is already apparent. In today’s RBN blog, we review the impact of the BIS license requirement, the still-pending imposition of fees on vessels owned or operated by China, and the risk that comes with using the energy industry as a bargaining chip in trade talks.
Friday, 6/27/2025
Category:
Refined Fuels
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2026-27 did more than just set renewable fuel mandates for the next two years, they included dramatic shifts in the way that imported fuels and feedstocks are handled and raised the likelihood of higher compliance costs during a time in which the federal government has been focused on keeping prices under control. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the critical changes that will affect imported biofuels and feedstocks and the potential cost impact.
Follow That Dream - Choice of Well Tubing Plays a Key Role as Horizontal Laterals Extend Their Reach
Thursday, 6/26/2025
Category:
Crude Oil
Since its beginning in western Pennsylvania 166 years ago, the oil and gas industry has been on a relentless quest to unlock more hydrocarbons. And for years, the focus has been on drilling more productively, not just drilling more wells. The techniques that have evolved since the start of the Shale Revolution have led to rapid increases in the length of horizontal laterals, boosting initial production (IP) rates — a critical development but posing new challenges for drillers. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss why longer laterals in horizontal wells aren’t the answer in every shale play, the advantages of the two types of tubing used in those wells, and how they can help boost productivity.
Wednesday, 6/25/2025
Category:
Financial
The summer movie season opened with the latest — and reportedly last — entry in the Tom Cruise-propelled “Mission: Impossible” franchise called “The Final Reckoning.” That title reminded us that, to E&P executives, the commodity price crash at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 must have seemed like the final blow in a series of financial crises that brought many of their companies to the verge of bankruptcy. But in a dramatic, “Mission: Impossible”-style recovery, producers restored their battered balance sheets and won back investors by radically shifting cash allocations. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll review the rise of the new E&P hero — dividends — and analyze how producers apportioned cash flows in Q1 2025.
Tuesday, 6/24/2025
Category:
Natural Gas
For several years now, the biggest hurdle to natural gas production growth in the Marcellus/Utica was takeaway constraints — there simply wasn’t enough capacity on gas pipelines out of Appalachia to support a significant bump-up in regional output. Things have been changing though. The Mountain Valley Pipeline and a slew of expansion projects along Transco are allowing increasing volumes of gas to move to and through Virginia and the Carolinas. The proposed Borealis Pipeline across Ohio would enable up to 2 Bcf/d to move down the Texas Gas Transmission system to the Gulf Coast. And, as we discuss in today’s RBN blog, Kinder Morgan is planning several major projects in the Deep South — including the 2.1-Bcf/d Mississippi Crossing and 1.3-Bcf/d South System Expansion 4 projects — to move more gas into Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.