RBN Energy
Early Access
Monday, 9/29/2025
Friday, 9/26/2025
Before data centers were the hot topic everywhere, Virginia was already rolling out the red carpet and it seemed that tech firms were constructing facilities as fast as humanly possible, drawn by the state’s robust fiber-optic network and low power prices. But while other states are racing to catch up, Virginia may be hitting the brakes. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll look at what makes Virginia so “sweet” for data center developers, their impact on the state, and efforts by some to slow progress.
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 Jeremy Meier - Friday, 9/26/2025 (3:00 pm)
US oil and gas rig count climbed to 549 rigs for the week ending September 26, an increase of seven rigs vs. a week ago and the largest gain since July according to Baker Hughes data.
By Jason Lindquist - Friday, 9/26/2025 (10:00 am)
Report Highlight: Hydrogen Billboard
Low-carbon steel that utilizes green hydrogen in the production process will be used in Microsoft data centers under an agreement announced this week with Swedish steelmaker Stegra.
Daily Energy Blog
Monday, 8/12/2013
Category:
Natural Gas
Alberta has vast reserves of natural gas, and for years the gas produced there found ready, steady markets in Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. Midwest, Northeast and West. Recently, the traditional buyers of Alberta gas have been turning to other suppliers and an increasing share of the province’s production is stranded in Western Canada. This has resulted in sharply higher gas inventories in Alberta, lower prices for the province’s gas, and high discounts relative to Henry Hub, LA prices at Alberta’s gas hub, AECO. Today we examine the factors behind this quandary.
Sunday, 8/11/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
The Houston crude oil distribution system is gearing up to handle a flood of new supplies from over 1.7 MMb/d of pipeline capacity delivering into the region by the end of Q2 2014. A trading market is also developing for producers and shippers selling that crude to Gulf Coast refiners. New grades of both light and heavy crude are showing up – principally from the Eagle Ford, the Permian Basin, North Dakota and Western Canada. Will a new crude trading market develop in Houston to rival those at Cushing, OK and St. James, LA? Today we look at the evolving Houston crude market.
Thursday, 8/08/2013
Category:
Energy
Three North Dakota electric utility companies are adding close to 800 MW of new generating capacity in the next five years. Unlike 68 percent of the State’s current generating capacity that uses coal fuel, the new plants will be powered by locally produced natural gas. The plants are needed in part to meet growing demand for power from Williston Basin oil and gas field services and infrastructure. A 2012 study sponsored by the North Dakota Transmission Authority estimates that demand in 45 Williston Basin counties will increase by 90 percent or 1000 MW between 2012 and 2017. Today we review regional power demand from the oil and gas industry.
Wednesday, 8/07/2013
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
Up until a few years ago, propylene production was mostly a derivative of the petroleum refining and olefin cracking industries. But that is changing big time. Nowadays propylene demand in Asia is booming, US propane supplies are abundant and propylene output from refineries and olefin crackers is declining. Time to get serious about making propylene on purpose! As a result three new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants are expected online at the US Gulf Coast in 2015 and 2016 that will produce 4.3 billion pounds/year. These plants will help close the gap between increasing world propylene demand and declining “by-product” production from olefin crackers and refineries. They will also help soak up growing US propane supplies. Today we examine the recent rapid growth in PDH plant projects.
Tuesday, 8/06/2013
Category:
Natural Gas
Natural gas from the Deep Panuke field off Nova Scotia will start flowing any day now. But it is arriving three years late, and a lot has changed since 2010. Most important for Repsol, the exclusive marketer of Deep Panuke gas, the New England market that was supposed to be the primary buyer is being courted by sellers of now-abundant Marcellus gas. And Spectra Energy, Kinder Morgan and others are building and planning the pipeline capacity needed to reliably deliver large volumes of gas to New England from the Marcellus. Today we conclude our two part analysis of the impact that this new supply will have on the region.
Monday, 8/05/2013
Category:
Natural Gas Liquids
Over the past six weeks, the price of Mont Belvieu propane has strengthened by more than 20%. That’s not supposed to happen in the middle of the summer doldrums when the only growth market for propane is backyard BBQ grills. Could supply be falling? Not hardly. The most recent Energy Information Administration (EIA) numbers show propane production from natural gas processing plants hitting another record, up 42% in the past four years. You might think that kind of supply growth would crush prices. But there is an escape valve for excess propane supplies: Exports – and lots of them. Fortunately international markets have been there to soak up the barrels. Today we will examine how this is all shaking out in the U.S. propane market.
Sunday, 8/04/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
The battle between pipeline and rail transport alternatives to get growing crude supplies out of Western Canada is heating up. On Thursday (August 1, 2013) TransCanada confirmed plans to proceed with repurposing their Mainline gas pipeline into the Energy East crude pipeline that will now carry up to 1.1 MMb/d from Alberta to Eastern Canadian refiners and the export market. A day earlier Kinder Morgan and Keyera announced plans to build a unit train loading terminal in Alberta to increase crude by rail capacity to the US. Today we review Canadian rail infrastructure investment plans.
Thursday, 8/01/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
Mining, processing and delivering over 30 million metric tonnes (MT) of frac sand proppant to US oil and gas shale drilling sites is a serious business. Speedier drilling, increased lateral length and more fraccing stages are driving demand for the critical proppant that holds open fractures to let hydrocarbons flow to the well. Large companies with efficient distribution logistics and agreements with the railroads dominate the business – helping to bring down completion costs per well. Today we take a closer look at the frac sand business.
Wednesday, 7/31/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
Houston crude storage and distribution terminals are getting busy fast these days as a flood of new crude begins to show up from inland production basins. Crude tank storage rates in Houston are double those at Cushing. Houston is now a trading hub for light sweet crude – as witnessed by the launch of a new Platts assessment last week. The Magellan East Houston terminal is the front line receipt point for incoming crude from the Permian Basin. Today we spotlight Magellan’s expanding Houston storage and distribution facilities.
Tuesday, 7/30/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
New pipeline capacity from Cushing to the US Gulf Coast, expected online at the end of 2013 and early in 2014, will ease the congestion that has stranded a lot of Western Canadian crude in the Midwest. There will subsequently be more opportunity for Canadian oil sands crude to reach Gulf Coast refineries by pipeline. Yet at the same time Canadian bitumen producers, rail terminal operators and railroad companies are jointly developing unit train loading terminals in Alberta - including one announced yesterday by Kyera Corp and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners. These terminals plan to load Canadian crude for delivery to the Gulf by rail. Today we ask how rail can compete with pipelines on this route.
Monday, 7/29/2013
Category:
Natural Gas
Natural gas from the Deep Panuke field off the coast of Nova Scotia could have gained a strong foothold in New England during the past few years—if the gas had started flowing in 2010, as had been the plan. New England, with its shift to gas-fired power generation and its wintertime heating needs, surely has needed the gas; it still does. Today, with the first Deep Panuke gas finally expected to come ashore in the next few weeks, we ask, can the new gas from Nova Scotia push its way into New England, or will the coming influx of Marcellus gas into the six-state region push Deep Panuke gas back across the border?
Sunday, 7/28/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
One of today’s hottest boutique oil shale plays in Texas is located northeast of the Eagle Ford shale and south of the Woodbine Sand basin. This play has been dubbed the “Eaglebine” by one of its principal acreage holders – ZaZa Energy Corporation. Another part of the play – operated by Halcón Resources - is known as “El Halcón” (the Hawk). Both companies are confident that positive early drilling results will translate into high rates of return. Today we examine the Eaglebine play.
Thursday, 7/25/2013
Category:
Natural Gas
Exporting LNG from western Canada to the Pacific Rim is seen by many as the silver bullet for reinvigorating Canada’s ailing natural gas sector. But while Canadian LNG may prove to be a cost-competitive alternative for buyers in Japan, Korea and other big consuming nations, prospective LNG exporters up north are certain to face stiff competition from Australia, the U.S., and other low-cost, high-volume gas producers. The point is, a silver bullet can miss its target. What if Canada’s aim is off?
Wednesday, 7/24/2013
Category:
Crude Oil
Just like every other kind of mechanical equipment, rail tank cars require maintenance every once in a while. Valves can leak. Linings wear down. Railings, platforms, and brake equipment need periodic repairs. And not surprisingly, the more miles you put on a tank car, the more maintenance it is going to need. As the crude-by-rail phenomenon has grown, so has the rate of ‘bad orders’ – rail cars that must be taken out of service for maintenance. Handling bad orders is a new issue for many producers and refiners just now getting their feet wet in the business. Everyone agrees that this is a very important issue, and the rail industry is not taking it lightly. Today we explore the implications of bad orders in the crude-by-rail market and how progressive solutions are on their way.
Tuesday, 7/23/2013
Category:
Natural Gas
Last Friday (July 19th, 2013) temperatures in New York City rose to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the second day in a row. At 4:00 PM that day the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) recorded a new State record peak power demand of 33,956 MW. In New York City (known as “Zone J”) real time power prices jumped as high as $1485/MWh. Today we examine the power price volatility.