Implied Oil Volatility Soars, But Path Ahead Is Unclear
Friday, February 8, 2019
The 44% decline in crude oil prices in the fourth quarter of 2018 was dramatic, but pales in comparison to the 79% plunge between July and December 2008, or the 76% tumble from late 2014 to early 2016, writes the financial market company CME Group. “Remarkably, implied volatility on 30-day West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil options spiked to levels in line with those seen during the 2014-2016 bear market, although they fell short
of the record highs in 2008,” the company comments.
Asia, Middle East, Africa Lead Energy Consumption Growth
Friday, February 8, 2019
Energy consumption in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa continues to grow rapidly, with about 20% growth in each region between 2010 and 2016, according to new data in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Statistics database. In particular, energy consumption has been increasing in the Middle East and Africa, driven by economic growth, increased access to energy markets, and quickly rising populations. Energy consumption in Asia grew even as energy consumption in China declined between 2015 and 2016.
EIA Tool Tracks New England Energy Capacity Constraints
Friday, February 8, 2019
To increase customer understanding of weather-related energy issues in New England, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has launched an interactive dashboard showing energy market conditions in that region. The dashboard can help analysts and others examine many key aspects of the New England energy market such as fuel diversification, wholesale price volatility, energy delivery dynamics, weather’s impact on operations, fuel prices’ effect on electricity rates, and regional and onsite fuel stocks.
China Gas Takes Delivery Of Canadian LPG from U.S. To Avoid Tariffs
Monday, February 4, 2019
(February 4, 2019) — China Gas, a Hong Kong-listed gas operator and service provider, is taking delivery of a small lot of Canadian-origin LPG from Petrogas (Calgary) via a third party at the U.S. West Coast export terminal in Ferndale, Wash. as Chinese buyers seek alternative, cheaper supply in the face of the U.S.-China trade dispute, S&P Global Platts reports.
Indian LPG Demand Bounces Back in December After Falling
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Indian LPG demand bounced back to a new high in December after falling to an 18-month low just a month earlier, reports ESAI Energy. While the December recovery signals that Indian demand will not collapse, the broader trend confirms a deceleration of the country’s demand growth, the consultancy
maintains.
New Michigan Governor Requests Legal Review of Line 5 Legislation
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Michigan’s new Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has requested a legal opinion from the state’s attorney general on the constitutional- ity of Enbridge Line 5 legislation passed during the 2018 lame duck session. That legislation, PA 359, promoted by outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, created the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and sealed an agreement with Enbridge Inc. (Calgary) to decommission the existing Line 5 pipeline and replace it with a line encased in a bedrock-reinforced utility tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac.
Energy Commodity Prices Tumble in 2018 4th Quarter
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
After increasing 25% from January through the beginning of October 2018, the spot energy sub-index in the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) ended the year 21% lower than at the beginning of the year, reports the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The S&P GSCI is a weighted average of commodity prices intended to reflect global commodity production quantities and futures contract trading volumes. Although all components of the S&P GSCI declined in 2018, the energy sub-index fell more than any other.
Energy Transfer Starts Service on Mariner East 2
Friday, January 18, 2019
Energy Transfer LP (Dallas) announced Dec. 29 that its Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline was online and available for both interstate and intrastate service. The 350-mile pipeline transports U.S.-produced ethane, propane, and butane east from processing plants in Ohio, across West Virginia, and Pennsylvania to Energy Transfer’s Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, Pa., where the NGLs are stored for distribution to local, domestic, and waterborne markets.
Small Businesses Score Small Wins, Big Leaps in 2018
Thursday, January 17, 2019
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reviews that its members celebrated a variety of important triumphs in 2018, including a delay of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Waters of the U.S. rule, a dismissed court challenge to President Donald Trump’s two-for-one executive order on regulatory relief, and a rescission of the union persuader rule by the Department of Labor. The federation notes these successes helped fuel 45-year highs in small business optimism and plans for job creation.
Grants Available Up To $2.5 Million To Reduce Diesel Engine Emissions Using Clean, Propane Autogas
Friday, January 11, 2019
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding grants for the implementation of projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding about $40 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds. Applicants in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas can apply for up to $2.5 million in funding.
Capability to Switch Fuels In Manufacturing Declines
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
The capability of the U.S. manufacturing sector to switch the fuels it uses declined continuously between 1994 and 2014, according to data from the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2014 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey published in September. Among the most commonly substitutable fuels used in manufacturing, the amount that could readily be switched in less than 30 days dropped from 24% in 1994 to 10% in 2014.
Report Highlights Benefits of Appalachian Ethane Storage
Monday, January 7, 2019
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a report to Congress, Ethane Storage and Distribution Hub in the United States, highlighting the potential in Appalachia for the development of a new ethane hub based on the “tremendous low-cost resource” from the Marcellus and Utica shales, and the accompanying security and reliability benefits derived from geographic diversity in the nation’s petrochemicals manufacturing base.
Canada’s Propane Industry Helping Fuel the Economy
Monday, January 7, 2019
From extraction to end use, Canada’s propane industry supports a significant level of economic activity, concludes a new Conference Board of Canada report. The report also finds that the nation’s propane production is expected to increase by more than 20% over the next seven years, and so will the industry’s economic footprint.
U.S. LNG Export Capacity to More than Double by 2019
Friday, January 4, 2019
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity will reach 8.9 Bcfd by the end of 2019, making the nation the third-largest exporter in the world behind Australia and Qatar. Currently, U.S. LNG export capacity stands at 3.6 Bcfd. It is expected to rise to 4.9 Bcfd as two new liquefaction units, or trains, become operational soon.
Record U.S. Oil Production Contributes to Lower Prices
Thursday, January 3, 2019
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) lowered its Brent crude oil spot price forecast to $71/bbl in 2018 and $61/bbl in 2019 in its December 2018 Short-Term Energy Outlook. Prices were down $2/bbl and $11/bbl, respectively, from a month earlier. EIA also said it expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices will average about $7/bbl lower than Brent prices next year. In a continuing price decline that began in mid-October, Brent spot prices fell from $71/bbl on Nov. 1 to $58/bbl on Nov.
Report Identifies Significant Opportunities for Propane
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
The Canadian Propane Association (CPA) is welcoming the findings of a report by the Conference Board of Canada, which identifies propane as a versatile fuel with multiple end-use markets both at home and abroad. Further, with the extensive activities covered by the industry’s supply chain, the propane industry’s economic footprint across Canada is significant, supporting many jobs and generating millions of dollars in taxes and revenues.
Report Finds Global Warming Fight Hurts Poor, Inland Communities
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
A new report released by the Pacific Research Institute concludes that California’s big-government approach to fighting global warming hurts inland, rural, and poor communities, which have hotter temperatures and larger percentages of minority populations.
Ethane Feedstock Demand Exceeds Supply Capability
Thursday, December 20, 2018
A surge in production of associated and non- associated natural gas from U.S. shale gas and tight oil plays, combined with a wave of new petrochemical steam crackers coming online, has created a major pinch point for producers and purchasers of ethane due to a lack of adequate NGL fractionation capacity to separate the mixed natural gas liquids, or Y-grade, stream into purity products, according to market analysis by IHS Markit.
Projects Expected to Reverse Gulf Declines
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Natural gas production in the U.S. Federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been declining for nearly two decades, reports the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Shale Producers Tackle Sharp Decline Rates
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Nearly a decade since independent oil firms ushered in the U.S. unconventional oil boom with advances in hydraulic fracturing, a key challenge remains—how to stem sharp decline rates at shale wells without burning through budgets, writes Argus Media. U.S. oil production is forecast to rise by 1.3 MMbbld to a record 10.7 MMbbld this year and hit 11.5 MMbbld in 2019, driven by growth in tight oil output from the Permian Basin and other shale formations, says the Energy Information Administration.
Propane Risks Falling Off Europe’s Feedstock Slate
Friday, December 14, 2018
As propane’s discount to naphtha has shrunk to its narrowest point in nearly a year, the market is watching for signs that propane could slip off the petrochemical feed- stock slate in Northwest Europe in favor of naphtha, S&P Global Platts reported in late November.