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March 31 (Reuters) - U.S. energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs, with the quarterly count dropping for the first time since 2020, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co (BKR.O) said in its closely followed report on Friday. U.S. oil rigs fell one to 592 this week, while gas rigs decreased two to 160. For the month, the total oil and gas rig count rose two rigs, the first monthly increase since November. For the quarter, the total oil and gas rig count fell by 24 rigs, the first quarterly decline since the third quarter of 2020. The drop in gas prices has already caused some exploration and production companies, including Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.O), Southwestern Energy Co (SWN.N) and Comstock Resources Inc (CRK.N), to announce plans to reduce production by cutting some gas rigs.

☆ Maryland announces goals for massive offshore wind power increase
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 29 (Reuters) - Maryland Governor Wes Moore on Wednesday announced goals to more than quadruple the state's offshore wind capacity to 8.5 gigawatts - enough to power nearly three million homes - as part of an effort by the state to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035. Moore is working "to establish new lease areas and strengthen the offshore wind supply chain," as well as establish grants to support the effort, the governor's office said in a statement. Although energy firms have proposed building offshore wind projects in the United States for more than two decades, there are only about 41 megawatts (MW) of total offshore wind capacity, located off the Rhode Island and Virginia coasts. For comparison, the United States has about 1.146 million megawatts of total generation, according to federal energy data. A timeline for Maryland's newly proposed wind power capacity was not immediately clear.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 64 cents, or 0.9%, to $70.31. The U.S. dollar fell to its lowest level since Feb. 3 against a basket of other currencies, supporting oil demand by making crude cheaper for buyers using other currencies. "The big story here is that build ... in crude, which is enough to get us to the 22-month high in crude oil storage. We just have a lot of crude oil in storage and it's not going to go away anytime soon," said Bob Yawger at Mizuho, a bank. An emergency rescue of Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) over the weekend helped revive oil prices.

☆ U.S. power use to slide in 2023 on slower economic growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EIA projected power demand will slide from a record 4,048 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2022 to 3,999 billion kWh in 2023, before rising to 4,065 billion kWh in 2024 as economic growth ramps up. That compares with an eight-year low of 3,856 billion kWh in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic depressed demand. EIA projected 2023 power sales would ease to 1,476 billion kWh for residential consumers, 1,378 billion kWh for commercial customers, and 998 billion kWh for the industrial sector. That compares with all-time highs of 1,521 billion kWh for residential consumers in 2022, 1,382 billion kWh in 2018 for commercial customers and 1,064 billion kWh in 2000 for industrial customers. The EIA projected 2023 gas sales would slide to 13.06 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) for residential consumers, 9.41 bcfd for commercial customers, 22.56 bcfd for industrial customers and 32.51 bcfd for power generation.

Losses were limited by oil supply concerns after Russia halted exports to Poland via a key pipeline. That positive economic data helped global stock markets to rebound, yet shares remained near six-week lows as investors braced for interest rate hikes in the United States and Europe. Adding to global oil demand worries, rising Sino-U.S. tensions hammered equity markets in China and Hong Kong while investors awaited policy signals from the upcoming National People's Congress. On Monday, Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said it started pumping oil from Kazakhstan to Germany via Poland through the Druzhba pipeline, while halting deliveries to Poland. Russia announced plans this month to cut oil exports from its western ports by up to 25% in March versus February, exceeding previously mooted production cuts of 5%.

After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The United States was long an importer of LNG, but natural gas discoveries and production from the shale revolution flipped the country into an LNG exporter in 2016. U.S. LNG exports hit 10.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2022, making the country the second biggest LNG exporter behind Australia. But their production volumes will allow the United States to remain ahead of output from Australia and Qatar. The seven U.S. export plants already in service, including Freeport LNG, can turn about 13.8 billion cubic feet of gas into LNG each day.

☆ U.S. power use to slide in 2023 from record high on weaker economic activity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy projected power demand will slide from a record 4,045 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2022 to 3,999 billion kWh in 2023, before rising to 4,063 billion kWh in 2024 as economic growth ramps up. That compares with an eight-year low of 3,856 billion kWh in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic depressed demand. The EIA projected 2023 power sales would ease to 1,475 billion kWh for residential consumers, 1,373 billion kWh for commercial customers, and 1,001 billion kWh for the industrial sector. That compares with all-time highs of 1,516 billion kWh for residential consumers in 2022, 1,382 billion kWh in 2018 for commercial customers and 1,064 billion kWh in 2000 for industrial customers. Natural gas' share of power generation would hold at 39% in 2023, the same as 2022, before sliding to 37% in 2024, the EIA said.

☆ U.S. natgas output to hit record high in 2023, demand to fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EIA projected dry gas production will rise to 100.27 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2023 and 101.68 bcfd in 2024 from a record 98.09 bcfd in 2022. The agency also projected domestic gas consumption would fall to 87.04 bcfd in 2023 and 86.10 bcfd in 2024 from a record 88.63 bcfd in 2022. But EIA's latest projections for 2023 were higher than its February 2022 forecasts of 97.97 bcfd for supply and 83.85 bcfd for demand. The agency forecast average U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports would reach 11.78 bcfd in 2023 and 12.59 bcfd in 2024, up from a record 10.63 bcfd in 2022. That 2023 forecast was lower than the 12.06 bcfd EIA forecast in January due to the delayed restart of the Freeport LNG export plant in Texas.

☆ Mexico Pacific to sell LNG from Sonora export plant to Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Mexico Pacific said on Tuesday that a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) had agreed to buy liquefied natural gas from the Mexican company's proposed Saguaro Energia LNG export plant in Sonora state. Mexico Pacific also said ExxonMobil has an option for 1 MTPA from Train 3 at the plant. One MTPA of LNG is about the same as 0.13 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. The proposed three-train Saguaro Energia LNG facility is designed to produce about 14.1 MTPA of LNG from natural gas sourced from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. "We look forward to working with Mexico Pacific to continue growing ExxonMobil's LNG portfolio and deliver Permian natural gas to global markets," said Peter Clarke, senior vice president of LNG for ExxonMobil Upstream Co.

☆ Freeport to restart liquefaction train at Texas LNG export plant this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG, the second-biggest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, said on Friday it plans to restart one of three liquefaction trains at its long-idled Texas export plant this week. Liquefaction trains turn natural gas into LNG for export. In a filing with Texas environmental regulators, Freeport said it "anticipates the purge and restart of Liquefaction Train 3 will begin on Feb. 3 with Trains 2 and 1 following sequentially." The Freeport plant shut after a fire in June 2022. Despite the planned Freeport restart, however, U.S. gas futures fell about 3% to a 25-month low on Friday due to forecasts for milder weather in February.

REUTERS/Todd Korol/File Photo/File PhotoNEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2% on Thursday on expectations that global demand will strengthen as top oil importer China reopens its economy and on positive U.S. economic data. Brent futures rose $1.35, or 1.6%, to settle at $87.47 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 86 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $81.01. "Crude prices got an unexpected boost from a U.S. economy that doesn’t want to break," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at data and analytics firm OANDA. China has been easing stringent COVID-19 restrictions this month, with Beijing reopening borders for the first time in three years. The OPEC+ ministerial panel meeting on Feb. 1 is likely to endorse the oil producer group's current output levels, OPEC+ sources said.

☆ Gas flows to Freeport LNG export plant resume, Refinitiv data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG's long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas started receiving small amounts of pipeline natural gas on Thursday, Refinitiv data shows. The flows were on track to reach only 22 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Thursday, according to the data. The last time small amounts of gas started flowing to the plant from Jan. 14-19 - the company used it to maintain a flare system, according to sources familiar with the plant. With many analysts expecting the Freeport plant to remain shut until spring when demand for gas for heating will decline, U.S. gas futures fell to a 19-month low. Freeport, the second-biggest U.S. LNG exporter, is important to the gas market because prices and demand will likely rise once the plant restarts.

Brent <LCOc1> futures fell 94 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $84.98 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 70 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at 79.48. Markets at first reacted positively to U.S. data, which showed retail sales and manufacturing production declined more than forecast in December, on hopes the Fed would now ease up on interest rate hikes. Supporting oil prices early in the session, China reported economic data that beat forecasts after the country started rolling back its zero-COVID policy in early December. Rystad said the losses were at about 500,000 barrels per day and that India and China remain key buyers of Russian crude.

Brent futures rose 72 cents, or 0.8%, to $86.64 a barrel by 11:46 a.m. EST (1646 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 94 cents, or 1.2%, to $81.12. But the data still beat analysts' forecasts after China started rolling back its zero-COVID policy in early December. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand to a record high this year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply. A report showing U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in December provided some counterintuitive support for oil prices. A weaker dollar can boost demand for oil, as dollar-denominated commodities become cheaper for holders of other currencies.

☆ Gas starts to flow to Freeport LNG export plant in Texas - data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG's long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas started receiving pipeline natural gas over the long U.S. Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend, according to Refinitiv data. Gas started flowing to Freeport on Jan. 14 and was on track to reach 69 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) on Tuesday, according to data from Refinitiv. Freeport has not yet filed a request with federal regulators to restart the plant, according to a source familiar with the company's filings. Whenever Freeport returns, U.S. gas demand will jump. The plant can turn about 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas into LNG, which is about 2% of U.S. daily production.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $2.29, or 3.1%, to settle at $77.41. Global equities were up on hopes that U.S. inflation and earnings figures due on Thursday will indicate a resilient economy and result in a slower pace of interest rate hikes. Oil demand is coming back and expectations are high that China’s demand is about to skyrocket," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at data and analytics firm OANDA. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 2.2 million-barrel decline in crude stocks, and industry data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showing a 14.9 million-barrel build. ,EIA this week forecast U.S. crude production will reach all-time highs in 2023 and 2024.

[1/2] The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. U.S. natural gas tumbled about 18% in the first week of January, the biggest slide on record to start a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The 12% drop in distillate futures , was the biggest dive to start a year since 1991. In natural gas, U.S. futures fell further on Friday, dropping 5% to $3.52 per million British thermal units during the session, its lowest since July 2021. This week, it forecast U.S. natural gas prices would drop to $4.00-$4.20 per million British thermal units in the second quarter through third quarter.

For the week, both Brent and WTI were down over 8%, their biggest weekly dives to start the year since 2016. "The oil market might be regaining some composure following the bloodbath earlier this week, but the upside potential remains limited, at least in the near term. That U.S. jobs report caused the U.S. dollar to rally as investors bet that inflation is easing and the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) need not be as aggressive as some feared. A weaker dollar can boost demand for oil, as dollar-denominated commodities become cheaper for holders of other currencies. Stock markets in China, the world's largest crude oil importer, logged a five-day winning streak on Friday on investors' expectations that the Chinese economy would soon emerge from its COVID woes and stage a robust recovery in 2023.

That outage dropped the United States behind top exporter Australia as global demand for the fuel boomed. In 2022, U.S. exports of natural gas as LNG rose 8% to 10.6 bcfd, just shy of Australia's 10.7 bcfd. The United States remained ahead of Qatar, which in third place shipped 10.5 bcfd, according to data provider Refinitiv. CROWN WITHIN SIGHTHowever, the loss of Freeport LNG's supply at mid-year took away the U.S. chance to take the crown as top exporter in 2022. In 2021, when prices in Asia were higher, just 35%, or about 3.3 bcfd, of U.S. LNG exports went to Europe.

☆ U.S. deep freeze forecast to break Christmas Eve records
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Dec 24 (Reuters) - An arctic blast that has gripped much of the United States this week, disrupting daily life and holiday travel for millions of Americans, was expected to produce the coldest Christmas Eve on record in several cities from Pennsylvania to Florida. Temperatures are forecast to top out on Friday at just 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) in Pittsburgh, the largest city in western Pennsylvania, surpassing its previous all-time coldest Christmas Eve high of 13 F, set in 1983, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The capital cities of Florida and Georgia - Tallahassee and Atlanta - were likewise expected to record their coldest daytime Christmas Eve high temperatures, while Washington, D.C., was forecast to experience its chilliest Dec. 24 since 1906. Extreme winter weather was blamed for at least five deaths on Friday. The NWS said its map of existing or impending meteorological hazards "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever."

As the storm took shape over the Great Lakes on Thursday, a weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone was likely to develop from a "rapidly deepening low-pressure" system, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The cyclone could spawn snowfalls of a half inch (1.25 cm) per hour and howling winds from the Upper Midwest to the interior Northeast, producing near-zero visibility, the weather service said. "It's dangerous and threatening," President Joe Biden said at the White House, urging Americans with travel plans to not delay and to set off on Thursday. Hundreds of Texans died in February 2021 after the state's power grid failed amid wintry storms, leaving millions without electricity. Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations at the NWS Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, said freezing or below-freezing cold would bisect central Florida, with temperatures about 25 degrees below normal.

☆ Deep freeze grips U.S. as winter 'bomb cyclone' looms ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Numbing cold intensified by high winds was expected to extend as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border. The NWS map of existing or impending wintry hazards, stretching from border to border and coast to coast, "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever," the agency said. The bomb cyclone could unleash snowfalls of a half inch (1.25 cm) per hour driven by gale-force winds, cutting visibility to near zero, the weather service said. Power outages were expected from high winds, heavy snow and ice, as well as the strain of higher-than-usual energy demands. The weather service said relief from the deep freeze was in sight for the northern Rockies and High Plains, where the arctic blast first materialized on Thursday.

More than 1.5 million homes and businesses lost power, oil refineries in Texas cut gasoline and diesel production on equipment failures, and heating and power prices surged on the losses. Oil and gas output from North Dakota to Texas suffered freeze-ins, cutting supplies. Freeze-ins - in which ice crystals halt oil and gas production - this week trimmed production in North Dakota's oilfields by 300,000 to 350,000 barrels per day, or a third of normal. Power prices on Texas's grid also spiked to $3,700 per megawatt hour, prompting generators to add more power to the grid before prices fell back as thermal and solar supplies came online. That is the biggest drop in output since the February 2021 freeze knocked out power for millions in Texas.

☆ Factbox: About 1.2 million without power in United States from winter storms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 23 (Reuters) - Just over 1.2 million homes and businesses were without power in the eastern half of the United States and Texas on Friday as winter storms battered much of the country, according to data from PowerOutage.us. U.S. utilities were working to restore power after the storms moved on from their service territories but some were still dealing with high winds. Most outages were in Maine, with just above 250,000 customers without power, followed by New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Nearly half of the 50 U.S. states counted more than 10,000 customers with outages due to the storms. The utility with the most outages was Central Maine Power with over 210,000 customers without power.

☆ Factbox: Over a million without power on U.S. East Coast and Texas due to winter storms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 23 (Reuters) - More than a million homes and businesses were without power on the U.S. East Coast, Midwest and Texas on Friday as winter storms battered much of the country, according to data from PowerOutage.us. Most outages were in North Carolina, with over 164,000 customers without power, followed by Virginia with over 92,000 and Connecticut with more than 89,000. More than a dozen other states east of the Mississippi River plus Oregon, Washington state, Missouri, Louisiana and Arkansas west of the Mississippi River each have more than 10,000 customers facing outages due to winter storms. Temperatures in northern Georgia were forecast to hit just 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 Celsius) with subzero wind chills. The utility with the most outages was Duke Energy Corp (DUK.N) with over 100,000 customers without power.

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