Hydropower, Nuclear, and Ethane Analysis—This Week at EIA
U.S. Energy Information Administration
EIA provides energy statistics and analyses for sound policy making, efficient markets, and public education.
U.S. exports of ethane and ethane-based petrochemicals rose 135% from 2014 to 2023
U.S. exports of ethane and ethane-based petrochemicals reached an all-time high of 21.6 million metric tons in 2023, up 135% since the United States began exporting ethane in 2014. The rapid expansion of U.S. ethane and ethane-based petrochemical exports has been fueled by the growth in domestic ethane production, which has increased with the country’s natural gas production and the buildout of export and production infrastructure.
Read more about exports of ethane and ethane-based petrochemicals on Today in Energy.
U.S. summer nuclear outages declined in 2024, returning to 2022 levels
Average U.S. nuclear capacity outages during the summer of 2024 decreased to about 2.6 gigawatts per day from 3.1 GW in 2023, similar to average summer daily outages in 2022. Outages this past summer were highest in mid-July and early August, averaging 3.1 GW per day and peaking at 5.7 GW on the last day of August. More recently, nuclear outages have exceeded the five-year average because of weather-related disruptions and refueling outages.
Unplanned, or forced, nuclear generation outages can result from equipment failure, operational error, or external circumstances such as severe weather. As of October 21, 39 unplanned U.S. nuclear outages occurred in 2024 compared with 55 in 2023.
Read more about summer nuclear outages on Today in Energy.
Drought conditions reduce hydropower generation, particularly in the Pacific Northwest
We forecast that electricity generation from U.S. hydropower plants in 2024 will be 13% less than the 10-year average, the least amount of electricity generated from hydropower since 2001.
On a monthly basis in 2023, across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, hydropower generation has been close to or below the lower end of the 10-year range, except for a brief spike in May due to a heatwave.
Read more about hydropower generation on Today in Energy.
U.S. fuel ethanol exports rise on strong international demand and low U.S. prices
U.S. fuel ethanol exporters are on track to export a record amount of the fuel in 2024. The increase in exports this year has largely been driven by demand in countries with biofuel blending mandates and cheaper-than-usual U.S. fuel ethanol prices.
In the first eight months of 2024, U.S. fuel ethanol exports averaged 121,000 barrels per day —the most fuel ethanol exports in the first eight months of any year.
Read more about ethanol exports on Today in Energy.
Highlight: Short-Term Energy Outlook coming on Wednesday
Monday, November 11, is a U.S. holiday, so many of our data releases will be delayed next week. Notably, we will publish our Short-Term Energy Outlook on Wednesday, November 13.
You can find a list of EIA data releases and their holiday schedules on our website.
We salute all of our Veterans, especially the many we call colleagues at EIA.
Data releases this week