Natural Gas Markets  The December 2017 Nymex natural gas contract is up 8c to $3.065 this morning on the back of colder weather changes in the near term forecast. However the 11-15 day forecast shows a return to warmer temperatures on the East Coast, so the market could be choppy over the next week. US dry gas production is at record levels approaching 76 bcf per day and keeping the…

Focus City of Industry publicly approves massive solar farm San Gabriel Valley Tribune – Oct 12 After working behind closed doors for a year, the City of Industry publicly approved agreements last Thursday to build a massive solar farm at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties — on land it does not own yet outside city limits. Industry has already spent $14 million on the proposal, according to…

Season’s first snow accumulation is upon us in the Upper Midwest. Powerful storm winds and rain will impact the East Coast causing potential power outages and flooding. Weather outlook, overall, offers colder and warmer risks to the forecast. Friday, October 20th, marked the end of week 29 with 64 Bcf injection, 1 Bcf lower than the expectation of 65 Bcf. By comparison, 74 Bcf was injected this time last year…

With continued utilization of shale resources and use of multi-directional pipes, we are seeing less importance of storage as a supply source. Even though the size of the market is much larger today, the ability to absorb high demand shocks and a foreseen “warm” winter, the need for storage is less critical. Friday, October 13th, marked the end of week 28 with 51 Bcf injection, 4 Bcf lower than the…

According to news reports, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is planning to start the process of repealing the Clean Power Plan very soon. This seriously flawed and misguided effort would be a dangerous step backwards for public health and climate protections. However, as the Trump Administration continues to unravel these protections, the transition to a clean energy future is accelerating. States, cities, and power companies are responding to the…

Wildfires fumed through Northern California cutting off natural gas and electricity service to thousands of customers. The fires spread over 115,000 acres. Friday, October 6th, marked the end of week 27 with 82 Bcf injection, 5 Bcf lower than the expectation of 87 Bcf. By comparison, 79 Bcf was injected this time last year and the five year average stands at 87 Bcf. Working natural gas inventories currently stand at…

A developing tropical system in the western Caribbean has changed weather models to a slightly warmer direction. It is projected to make its way to the Gulf Coast.  Markets are still trending toward a warm winter. Friday, September 29th marked the end of week 26 with 42 Bcf injection, bullish compared to the 51 Bcf expectation. By comparison, 76 Bcf was injected this time last year, and the five year average…

Fall is officially here, but the generally solid builds continue. Friday, September 22nd marked the end of Week 25 of injection season, and today the EIA reported a net inflow of 58 Bcf – bullish compared to the expectation of 66 Bcf. By comparison, 52 Bcf was injected this time last year, and the five year average stands at 86 Bcf. Though the report came in bullish, traders saw this as…

Much of the energy-related news from hurricane-recovery areas of Texas and Florida continues to be encouraging. Shell said it was restarting its Deer Park refinery in the Houston area that was shut down three weeks ago with the approach of Hurricane Harvey. ExxonMobil said it could start most of the production units at its Beaumont, Texas, refinerylater this week. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said pre-Hurricane Irma preparations and a concentrated focus on…

This week’s injection of 97 Bcf was larger than the market expectation of 90 Bcf while simultaneously coming in higher than last year’s value of 54 Bcf and the five-year average of 73 Bcf. With Henry Hub now trading under $3/MMBtu, October now heads into somewhat of a “sleep mode” that reflects a trend of little to no heat matched with equally uneventful demand for the time of year. Weather-wise,…