EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Rising natural gas prices – spurred increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) – are set to push up electricity prices at the same time new demands are being placed upon electric grids, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Finance Analysis (IEEFA) study. Natural gas generation become…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Oil and gas field mergers and acquisitions in 2024 reached $207 billion – a 331% year-over-year increase – as consolidation continued among the largest U.S. companies in the sector, according to Ernst & Young LLP. At the same time, some operators trimmed share buybacks and dividends to shareholders, and…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Growth in spending and production in the U.S. oil industry are projected to slow over the next few years, after a boom in drilling and capital spending between 2015 and 2024, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis. Upstream oil investments are on track to fall by nearly…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Wholesale electricity prices in the U.S. are projected to rise by an average 12% this summer, and while the margin between demand and generation capacity will be thinner, there should be adequate capacity, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assessment. Electricity demand this summer is expected to…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Upstream oil and gas mergers and acquisitions opened 2025 with $17 billion in deals, the second-best start since 2018, but it was largely powered by one company. Prospects for the rest of the year are uncertain, according to Enverus Intelligence Research. Diamondback Energy dominated the quarter with its $4.08…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s goal of “energy dominance” and its mantra of “drill, baby, drill” have run into production limitations, economic uncertainty caused by the administration’s tariff policies, and increased output from OPEC+. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to speed permitting, reduce regulations,…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer New Mexico is seeing the country’s most rapid increase in oil and gas production – with an output of 2 million barrels a day in 2024 – more than double the 2019 amount, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas study. New Mexico shares the Permian Basin, the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum – set to begin March 12 – will challenge the utility sector, but in the short run should not undermine company finances, according to the credit rating service Morningstar DBS. Still, the tariffs may have a ripple…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Frosty New England may not seem the best region for full-scale home-heating electrification, but while such a move might double demand, it could reduce the combined cost of natural gas and electricity by 29%, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study. With its cold winters, significant rural…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S. oil and gas upstream mergers and acquisitions reached $105 billion in 2024 – the third highest total in more than a decade – even as deals cratered in the second half of the year, according to Enverus Intelligence Research. In the fourth quarter of 2024, activity was $9.6…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer A combination of demand for refined products and limited refining capacity will keep margins high through 2035 for the global refining industry, but a drop in demand for gasoline and the rise in biofuels will pressure the sector after 2040, according to consultant Rystad Energy. “Refining margins are expected…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Natural gas inventories heading into the winter heating season are at their highest level since 2016, 6% above the five-year average, but electric reliability regulators remain concerned about the impact of freezing temperatures on deliveries to power plants. “While the natural gas industry is making progress on commercial practices…