Hot Weather Boosts U.S. Natgas Use
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported that July 2012 was the hottest month on record for the Lower 48 States, booting natural gas consumption for power generation and air conditioning demand.
NOAA said the temperature averaged 77.6°, 3.3° warmer than the 20th Century average for the month. The previous warmest July was in 1936, when temperatures averaged 77.4°. The largest deviations from normal were in states in the Midwest and Plains states.
Bentek Energy LLC said gas consumed in power generation in July averaged 35.06 Bcfd, an increase of 4.42 Bcfd or 14.4% from July 2011, when temperatures averaged 77°.
Bentek said some of the year-over-year increase is due to the cost advantage of gas over coal for generation. Natural gas power burn in the Midwest increased 1.2 Bcfd from the previous year, from 2.18 to 3.38 Bcfd, and power burn in the Southeast increased from 8.81 to 10.90 Bcfd.
For more information: www.NOAA.gov
