• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Corporate News
  • Generation
  • Oil & Gas
  • Regulation
  • Renewable
    • Climate
    • Solar
    • Wind
  • Storage
  • Tech
  • T & D
Energy News Desk Logo

Energy News Desk

Energy News and Data

Petroleum stocks at Northeast power plants have not changed much in recent years

December 14, 2020 by EIA Gov

December 14, 2020

northeast region power plant petroleum liquid inventories


In much of the United States, power plants that burn petroleum liquids are generally operated for short periods during times of peak electricity demand, such as during brief periods of cold winter weather. These plants maintain petroleum inventories so that they are ready to dispatch electricity when it’s needed. Petroleum plays an important role in the Northeast (defined here as New York and New England) when electricity demand is high, particularly in the winter. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), power plants in the Northeast held petroleum inventories of approximately 6.7 million barrels as of the end of September 2020, close to the average of 7 million barrels during the previous five Septembers.

In the winter in much of the United States, cold weather increases natural gas consumption for home heating, which reduces the availability of natural gas for electricity generation. This dynamic is more pronounced in the Northeast because of the region’s natural gas pipeline capacity constraints during peak demand periods and its lack of natural gas storage.

Petroleum inventories and petroleum-fired electricity generation are particularly important in the Northeast during periods of extreme winter weather, when natural gas supply is more constrained in the region. At these times, electricity producers turn to petroleum-fired generation to meet demand.

Northeast power plant petroleum liquid consumption and receipts


At the beginning of 2015, a series of blizzards and winter storms increased the demand for petroleum-fired generation in the Northeast, which, in turn, triggered petroleum consumption at times of peak cold in January and February 2015. In January 2018, petroleum consumption increased again when a bomb cyclone winter storm hit the Northeast, bringing bitter cold weather that raised demand for petroleum-fired generation.

Power plants in the Northeast maintain consistent levels of petroleum inventories to ensure they can run when needed, which helps maintain grid reliability. Plants quickly replenish inventories after weather-induced uses of petroleum-fired generation. Petroleum receipts by power plants in the Northeast rose in the months following the winter storms in early 2015, totaling 2.7 million barrels between January and March 2015. Following the bomb cyclone storm in January 2018, petroleum receipts by plants in the region totaled 3.0 million barrels in January and February 2018.

Principal contributor: Paul McArdle

Original source: EIA.gov

Filed Under: Breaking

Primary Sidebar

Join The Daily Charge

This week's top 5 stories in your inbox. No spam ever.

Trending

  • Vestas Unveils 15 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
  • Canadian Solar Launches New Line of PV Modules
  • Offshore Wind Market for Jack-Up Interventions on the Rise
  • Anumar Names Delta as String Inverter Supplier for German PV Project
  • Emerson Acquires Open Systems Int. Inc.
  • Dominion Energy Reaches Construction Milestone on Offshore Installation Vessel
  • Billions Could Live in Extreme Heat Zones Within Decades, Study Finds
  • SEACOR, CMB Enter Purchase Agreement for Windcat Workboats, CTV
  • Texas Governor Receives TGE’s Wind Leadership Award
  • Stem Provides Smart Energy Storage Solutions to Today’s Power

Footer

Trending

  • Vestas Unveils 15 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
  • Canadian Solar Launches New Line of PV Modules
  • Offshore Wind Market for Jack-Up Interventions on the Rise
  • Anumar Names Delta as String Inverter Supplier for German PV Project
  • Emerson Acquires Open Systems Int. Inc.

Recent

  • Quick Tips To A Sustainable Future
  • Stem Provides Smart Energy Storage Solutions to Today’s Power
  • EIA's AEO2021 shows U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions rising after the mid-2030s
  • Homeowners associations still a barrier for some would-be solar customers
  • Commentary: With open standards, U.S. can build EV charging infrastructure faster

Search

Contact Us

Write For Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · EnergyNewsDesk.com