RBN’s Daily Energy Blog and Insights sharpen your energy IQ through fundamentals-based analysis that makes sense of North America’s energy market dynamics.
Natural gas prices in the Permian spent the first half of the year in the red. Then, in mid-June, Kinder Morgan flipped a switch and now Waha prices are back above zero. The “switch” was a compression expansion on Gulf Coast Express, which added a desperately needed 570 MMcf/d of takeaway capacity.
Over the past 18 months, Gulf Coast dock capacity capable of handling either LPG or ethane has grown significantly. It’s something relatively new called “flex capacity,” and it’s a darned good thing it’s online. Without it, both LPG and ethane export capacity would already be maxed out.
The Crude Voyager is a weekly analysis of U.S. Gulf Coast loading activity that explains the ebbs and flows of crude loadings, destinations, and geopolitical issues impacting U.S. exports. It outlines the major paths for laden tankers hauling U.S. crude all over the world and reflects the change in tanker departures to the main regions that consume U.S. crude.
U.S. oil and gas rig count gained seven rigs to 588 for the week ending July 17 according to Baker Hughes data, as Permian (+3), Anadarko (+2) and All Other (+2) all posted gains while all other basins held steady.
In Western Canada, the gas-directed rig count rose by 2 to 59 rigs, while the oil-directed rig count gained 20 to 136 rigs, for the week ended July 17, according to Baker Hughes data.
Plug Power said July 13 it has agreed to sell its planned Graham, TX, green hydrogen project (#9 in map below) to Stream Data Centers for up to $76.5 million. As noted in this week’s Hydrogen Billboard, the transaction represents a growing trend in hydrogen and related clean-energy projects, as industrial sites with substantial power access are increasingly being redirected toward data centers because those projects can often generate higher and faster returns than energy-transition infrastructure.
Demand for natural gas in Northeast and pipeline capacity out of Appalachia are poised to grow in the coming years, but will production follow suit? Even if market conditions improve, it’s not a done deal. Today, we look at which producers are best positioned to grow if conditions warrant.
Crude oil sourcing for the three refining regions in Louisiana couldn’t be more different from each other. In today’s RBN blog, we examine crude oil flows into and out of the Bayou State, assess supply/demand balances, and explore why is could be increasingly important to understand those balances.
Crude Oil TradeView provides up-to-date data and insights into the behavior of differentials for 33 crude assessments across North America. Each week, it also walks you through the reasoning of why differentials widen, narrow, flip (premium vs. discount), or blow out.
U.S. propane production has trended lower since early May, while the margin above the previous five-year maximum for inventories has continued to narrow despite another inventory build.
The U.S. energy industry is continuously evolving. Unlike the previous era of unconventional supply growth, demand is increasingly determining where capital will be deployed, reshaping investment priorities. That’s today’s subject and the focus of our upcoming School of Energy: Foundations.
As discussed in this week's Crude Voyager, despite U.S.
