U.S. electricity prices continue steady increase
Retail electricity prices have increased faster than the rate of inflation since 2022, and we expect them to continue increasing through 2026, based on forecasts in our Short-Term Energy Outlook. Parts of the country with relatively high electricity prices may experience greater price increases than those with relatively low electricity prices.
U.S. manufacturing energy consumption has continued to increase since 2010 low
U.S. manufacturing energy consumption has continued to increase, according to our recently released survey results for 2022. We conduct the Manufacturing Energy Consumption Surveys (MECS) every four years, and the latest iteration shows the third consecutive increase in energy consumed in the manufacturing sector since a low point in 2010. Natural gas consumption in the manufacturing sector increased by more than all other energy sources combined, as compared with the previous MECS results from 2018.
Natural gas pipeline project completions increase takeaway capacity in producing regions
Natural gas pipeline projects completed in 2024 increased takeaway capacity by approximately 6.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in the U.S. natural gas–producing Appalachia, Haynesville, Permian, and Eagle Ford regions, according to our latest Natural Gas Pipeline Projects tracker. These pipelines deliver natural gas from the producing regions to demand centers in the mid–Atlantic and along the U.S. Gulf Coast:
Planned retirements of U.S. coal-fired electric-generating capacity to increase in 2025
Electricity generators plan to retire 12.3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2025, a 65% increase in retirements compared with 2024. Last year, 7.5 GW was retired from the U.S. power grid, the least generation retired since 2011, according to data reported to us in our latest inventory of electric generators. Coal generating capacity accounts for the largest share of planned capacity retirements (66%), followed by natural gas (21%).
Improving well productivity helps U.S. oil companies increase production at a lower cost
Second-quarter 2024 financial results for 34 publicly traded U.S. oil exploration and production (E&P) companies suggest increasing well productivity is helping these companies reduce production costs on a per barrel basis and freeing up cash for other uses such as dividends and share repurchases.
New NOAA research predicts an increase in active Atlantic hurricane seasons
Tropical cyclones are among the most deadly and costly natural disasters that affect the United States and many other countries each year. This has led the scientific community to prioritize improving tropical cyclone prediction and the understanding of how tropical cyclone activity has changed and will change in the future. In a new study published in Science Advances, NOAA and partner researchers project an increase in the variability of Atlantic tropical cyclone activity, leading to more active and inactive hurricane seasons and less near-normal seasons. The study investigates how the frequency and accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) in the North Atlantic