EIA forecasts new export licensing requirements will reduce U.S. ethane exports
We forecast U.S. ethane exports will decrease by 80,000 barrels per day (b/d) this year and by 177,000 b/d in 2026 in our June Short-Term Energy Outlook because of new licensing requirements for U.S. exports of ethane to China. Any policy changes that relax licensing requirements, such as the outcome of trade negotiations between the United States and China, would lead us to increase our forecasts for U.S. ethane exports again.
Distillate and jet fuel contribute to record U.S. petroleum product exports in 2024
In 2024, U.S. exports of total petroleum products increased to a record 6.6 million barrels per day (b/d) annual average. Annual U.S. petroleum product exports increased by 495,000 b/d as U.S. exports of distillate fuel oil, typically sold as diesel, and jet fuel increased compared with 2023, while exports of total motor gasoline decreased. Imports of major petroleum products, including gasoline, distillate fuel oil, and jet fuel, decreased by 210,000 b/d in 2024 compared with 2023.
U.S. crude oil exports reached a new record in 2024
U.S. crude oil exports in 2024 surpassed the previous record set in 2023, exceeding an annual average of 4.1 million barrels per day (b/d). Despite this new record, crude oil export year—over—year growth slowed to 1% in 2024, compared with 14% in 2023 and 21% in 2022.
Canada’s propane exports to Asia are growing, making up more than 40% of exports in 2024
Canada's propane exports have steadily increased over the last decade, reaching record highs in 2024 as new marine export terminals streamlined the flow of propane from western Canada to export destinations, particularly to Asia. U.S. propane imports from Canada have stayed relatively consistent since Canada began waterborne exports in 2019.
U.S. ethane production, consumption, and exports set new records in 2024
U.S. ethane production, consumption, and exports reached record highs in 2024, according to recent data from our Petroleum Supply Monthly. Increasing ethane recovery associated with natural gas production and continued growth in the domestic and global petrochemical sectors drove these increases.
U.S. propane exports have increased every year since 2007
U.S. propane exports averaged a record 1.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024, the most since we began collecting this data in 1973. U.S. propane exports increased for each of the last 17 years, with growth driven by higher demand in East Asia, mainly China, and a widening propane price differential between U.S. and global benchmarks.
U.S. butane exports reached a new record in 2024
The United States is exporting record volumes of normal butane as global demand for liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) surges. U.S. normal butane exports averaged nearly 500,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2024, a 12% increase from the previous year, and have increased every year since 2006.
U.S. coal exports reached a six-year record in June 2024
Gross U.S. coal exports in June 2024 totaled 10 million short tons, the most in a month since October 2018, data from our Short-Term Energy Outlook data browser show. Annual average U.S. coal exports were 9.0 million short tons in 2024. U.S. coal exports have increased each year since 2020, when they averaged 5.8 million short tons amid the COVID-19 pandemic.