power generation

Looking to dig a bit deeper into the natural gas price spikes this winter in California, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday launched a multi-pronged investigation into the causes, impacts and the potential for recurrence. In addition, the commission also intends to examine the impact of the price spikes on natural gas and…

U.S. natural gas consumption averaged 88.5 Bcf/d last year, an all-time high in records dating back to 1949, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The federal agency said natural gas consumption peaked last year in January and July. EIA noted that natural gas peaks twice a year in the United States, driven by the…

Once the third largest spender on natural gas, electricity generators now account for 31% and take on the biggest share of natural gas expenditures, according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).  The sector, already the dominant natural gas consumer, rose to the top of spending in 2021, when natural gas…

“I would say there’s a sensation that you can see a light at the end of the tunnel,” José María Lujambio, partner and energy practice director at Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, told NGI’s Mexico GPI. “It is a feeling that deterioration in the [Mexican energy] sector has ended and members of the industry are starting…

With a pilot project validating an innovative system to produce electricity from natural gas while generating near-zero emissions, NET Power LLC is leading a consortium to construct a 300 MW carbon-free generator in the Permian Basin. NET Power advanced the West Texas project following success with its supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) demonstration plant in 2018.…

A number of Latin American nations are increasingly importing LNG as a baseload energy security option as they work to lower greenhouse gas emissions and hit net-zero targets. “If you look at a country like Chile,” said Bryan Murphy, managing director of infrastructure outfit Glenfarne Energy Transition LLC (GET), “there has been no baseload thermal…

Consumption of natural gas by U.S. power generators fell by 3% year/year in 2021 after four straight years of growth, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Monday. “High natural gas prices in 2021 made natural gas a less competitive fuel, particularly compared with coal; coal prices for electricity generators remained relatively stable in 2021,” said…

A buffer against higher natural gas prices that has traditionally been available to U.S. electric utilities, gas-to-coal switching, has become less tangible as more coal-fired power plants are retired and supply chain challenges linger, according to analysts. “I do not think utilities have any options, other than to burn dry gas in their” combined cycle…

California leaned more heavily on natural gas-fired electricity during the extreme heat wave that blanketed the state earlier this month, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Grid operator CAISO (aka California Independent System Operator) had to urge customers to cut back on electricity use during an extended stretch of sweltering temperatures in early September…