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Thursday, 12/12/2024
Wednesday, 12/11/2024
LPG and ethane exports out of the U.S. continue to grow rapidly and are expected to reach 3.4 MMb/d by 2030. They are also critical parts of a plan by Enterprise Products Partners to expand its total liquid hydrocarbon exports to 100 MMbbl per month (100 MMb/month), a roughly 50% increase from current levels for crude oil, LPG and ethane, refined products and petchems. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll take a closer look at Enterprise’s LPG and ethane exports and how much they need to grow to reach the company’s ambitious goal.
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 TJ Braziel - Wednesday, 12/11/2024 (3:30 pm)
Report Highlight: Crude Oil Billboard
Crude oil production hit a new all-time high of 13.631 MMb/d, spurred by the EIA's re-benchmarking of supplies (see description below) by 105 Mb/d. Net refinery demand dropped by 250 Mb/d, erasing much of the previous week's 615 Mb/d rise.
By RBN Team - Wednesday, 12/11/2024 (3:00 pm)
Report Highlight: U.S. Propane Billboard
The EIA reported total U.S. propane/propylene inventories had a withdrawal of 3 MMbbl for the week ended December 6, which was above industry expectations for a decrease of 2.1 MMbbl. Total U.S.
Recently Published Reports
| Report | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|
| TradeView Daily Data | TradeView Daily Data - December 10, 2024 | 1 day 18 hours ago |
| TradeView Daily Data | TradeView Daily Data - December 10, 2024 | 1 day 21 hours ago |
| U.S. Propane Billboard | U.S. Propane Billboard Monthly - November, 2024 | 1 day 23 hours ago |
| Crude Voyager | Crude Voyager Report – December 10, 2024 | 1 day 23 hours ago |
| LNG Voyager | LNG Voyager Weekly - December 10, 2024 | 2 days 1 hour ago |
Pages
Daily Energy Blog
Tuesday, 10/29/2024
Category:
Power
The prospect of a massive buildout of data centers across the U.S. has utilities preparing for a surge in power demand. And while access to an uninterrupted power supply is a critical factor for companies deciding where to build a data center, it’s not the only variable — power prices and proximity to customers also play a major role. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at where data centers are deployed across the U.S., the major factors that determine where a facility gets built, and how the sudden expansion is playing out in the major U.S. technology hubs.
Monday, 10/28/2024
Category:
Natural Gas
For natural gas markets to operate as efficiently as possible, a lot of data is needed, including up-to-date estimates of the amount of gas in storage and the physical capacity to hold it. For too long, Canadian natural gas markets have been operating with an obvious blind spot: little to no reliable storage data. With Alberta being home to the largest amount of gas storage capacity in Canada, having accurate information could provide vital data in the pricing of Canadian natural gas. In today’s RBN blog, we begin a multi-part series examining Canadian natural gas storage, starting with Alberta.
Friday, 10/25/2024
Category:
Financial
The multibillion-dollar acquisitions that have become almost routine in the upstream sector the past few years are typically accompanied by asset rationalization — in other words, a thoughtful look at which elements of the pro forma company make sense followed by the divestiture of those that don’t. In many cases, a key aim of that rationalization process is trimming any debt associated with the acquisition itself. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the big steps Chevron has been taking to rework its portfolio — and sell off up to $15 billion in assets — as it inches toward closing on its $60 billion purchase of Hess Corp.
Thursday, 10/24/2024
Category:
Crude Oil
Midland, TX, is the epicenter of the Permian Basin. As the largest crude oil hub in the region, it boasts about 20 MMbbl of crude oil storage and extensive downstream connectivity, with the ability to deliver to local refineries, Wichita Falls, Cushing, Nederland, Houston and even Corpus Christi (albeit indirectly). It’s also where Midland WTI pricing is assessed, shaping much of the broader oil market in the region and even around the world. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss why Midland is the center of it all.
Wednesday, 10/23/2024
Category:
Power
The growing number of energy-intensive data centers coming online across the U.S. is spurring utilities to ramp up plans to add new sources of power generation but also complicating efforts to decarbonize. One of the hottest topics in energy today is how plans to restart shuttered nuclear plants and build new small modular reactors (SMRs) could help accomplish both goals. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at why data centers and nuclear power seem like a natural fit, examine which shuttered plants might be brought back to life, and outline plans by a pair of U.S. economic titans to bring new advanced reactors online.
Tuesday, 10/22/2024
Category:
Refined Fuels
As the Atlantic hurricane season churns out storms that regularly threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast, it can be easy to forget that the East Coast — an important refining center and refined-products market — is not immune from their impact. A dozen years ago this month, Superstorm Sandy roared ashore in New Jersey, wreaking havoc with storm surges and fierce winds that stretched for 1,000 miles. While the East Coast lacks the Gulf Coast’s concentration of energy infrastructure, it is home to the critical New York Harbor (NYH) market. In today’s RBN blog, we will examine how storms have affected the refining sector on the East Coast.
Bad Moon Rising - Oil Producers Focus on High-Grading Crude Portfolio as Gas Price Impact is Minimal
Monday, 10/21/2024
Category:
Financial
The upcoming presidential election has filled the airways with discussions around crucial issues, some with dramatic short-term (yet highly variable) impacts and others that will play out over several years. The impact of the critical short-term issue facing oil and gas producers today — historically low natural gas prices — varies depending on the structure of individual company portfolios. In today’s RBN blog, the last of our four-part series, we analyze the effect of lower gas prices on the revenues, cash flows, investment, leverage and cash allocation of Oil-Weighted E&Ps and discuss how they are adapting.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Shell's Pennsylvania Petchem Complex Finally Firing On All Cylinders
Friday, 10/18/2024
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
Shell’s petrochemical complex in Western Pennsylvania has had plenty of challenges on its way to startup and full operation. Announced a dozen years ago, the project was set back by COVID-related construction delays and a rougher-than-expected production ramp-up. But that’s all in the past now (fingers crossed) and the ethane-rich Northeast finally has its first big ethylene plant. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll examine Shell’s return to plastics and what it took to get there.
Thursday, 10/17/2024
Category:
Renewables
Progress in the carbon-capture industry can be slow, given the extended permitting process for sequestration wells, uncertain long-term outlook and skepticism about the real-world effectiveness in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The past several weeks have been a better-than-usual period for advocates of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), with significant milestones reached for a trio of important projects under development, but not all the news was positive. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at what’s happening with a handful of key CCS projects.
Wednesday, 10/16/2024
Category:
Crude Oil
Since the advent of the Shale Revolution, the U.S. has experienced a massive surge in oil, gas and NGL production — creating a bonanza of opportunities. But the attitudes of energy companies, owners and investors have shifted from “drill-baby-drill” to a focus on returning value to shareholders. It’s an evolution reminiscent of the economic concept known as the product life cycle. And that got us thinking. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the introduction, growth and maturity phases of the Shale Revolution, assess where we are today, and explore a couple of potential paths forward.
Tuesday, 10/15/2024
Category:
Crude Oil
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and others have lowered growth targets for global oil consumption in the short term, while traders began a sell-off in crude benchmarks before the recent recovery in oil prices. Their main concern? China, which has accounted for a large part of global demand growth, has recently seen a sharp drop in oil demand due in part to an economic slowdown as well as a sharp increase in electric vehicle (EV) adoption. In today’s RBN blog, we will examine what’s happening in China, what it means for global oil demand, and where additional demand growth might come from.
Monday, 10/14/2024
Category:
Crude Oil
The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) may account for less than one-fifth of U.S. oil production but it’s a region that’s more than holding its own. Drillers plan to expand production, using advanced technologies to tap untouched reserves in deeper waters. Still, Gulf Coast output has always been at risk from severe storms, just like the onshore outlets and infrastructure on which producers depend. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss highlights from our new Drill Down Report on the developments in the Gulf.
Friday, 10/11/2024
Category:
Refined Fuels
There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the pace of electric vehicle (EV) adoption has slowed, with JD Power now expecting EVs to make up 9% of U.S. new-car sales in 2024, down from its earlier estimate of 12.4% but still up from 7% in 2023. The group remains bullish on EVs in the long term, expecting market share to reach 36% by 2030 and 58% by 2035. The forecast from RBN’s Refined Fuels Analytics (RFA) group forecast has been — and continues to be — more conservative than most but still anticipates EVs will reach 50% of U.S. new-car sales by the early 2040s. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at what drives these forecasts and the anticipated impacts on gasoline demand.
Thursday, 10/10/2024
Category:
Power
There is a lot of talk about the best way to meet the expected increases in U.S. power demand, driven by manufacturing growth and the rapid development of large-scale data centers, which has sparked renewed interest in nuclear power. The most recent reactors to come online were Units 3 and 4 at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power station, but they came in well over budget and far behind schedule. Still, the startup of those units is a significant milestone as they are the first new reactors to come online in the U.S. since 2016. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the lessons learned from the Vogtle project and what they might mean for future nuclear development.
Wednesday, 10/09/2024
Category:
Renewables
Given the frothy targets to reduce U.S. carbon emissions set by the 2016 Paris Agreement and an anticipated expanding role in that process for low-carbon-intensity (LCI) hydrogen that is barely being produced in 2024, it’s hard to believe there’s a path forward. Yet one recent study from industry participants in the National Petroleum Council (NPC), commissioned by the Department of Energy (DOE), provides detailed projections of how and where LCI hydrogen will develop, including regional variations. In today’s RBN blog we review that analysis.