Western power prices ended the Sept. 17 to Sept. 24 trading period lower as demand remained relatively static throughout the week.
Cooler weather, rampant wildfires, and natural gas production shut in by hurricanes combined over the past week to confuse Western energy prices. There was no unified pattern in either power or natural gas price movements over the Sept. 10 to Sept. 17 trading period.
Peak power prices in the western United States fell as heat exited and demand started to flag following the Labor Day weekend.
It could be expected that record heat forecast through Sept. 7 across the West would give regional prices a uniform boost in anticipation of higher demand, but that scenario hadn’t played out yet as of Sept. 4.
Although extreme heat appears to no longer be triggering high energy prices, there are now wildfires and hurricanes exerting pressure on power and natural gas values.
The continuation of an extreme heat wave across the western United States caused energy prices and demand to soar between Aug. 13 and 20. It also sparked Palo Verde daytime power to post two consecutive days of record high prices.
With an excessive-heat warning and heat advisories issued across the western United States, the anticipation of higher demand bolstered regional energy prices with the potential for prices to trend higher still as the heat persists.
In addition to ongoing storage restrictions across the Southern California Gas Co. system, transmission in the region was constricted by pipeline outages that exerted pressure on prices.
Natural gas and electricity prices rose this week as Southern California Gas Co. imposed additional restrictions on its system and daytime temperatures surged.
Natural gas will temporarily not be flowing into or out of the Aliso Canyon storage field as the facility undergoes high inventory shut-in maintenance.
Renewables curtailments on the California Independent Operator System grid are always a hot summertime topic; however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, conventional demand and energy-use patterns are no longer readily comparable.
Western energy price movements remain relatively subdued, but an expected heat wave could drive both demand and prices higher.
Warm weather across the United States during the first half of July could translate into greater demand and a boost to natural gas markets, but the specter of COVID-19 looms.
Western energy prices lifted as weather conditions modulated to seasonally normal temperatures, with triple-digit highs posted in portions of Arizona and the San Joaquin Valley the week of June 22.
Natural gas prices at the benchmark Henry Hub reached a low of $1.38/MMBtu June 16, the lowest price since December 1998 "in nominal terms," according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Supply constraints typically don't trigger price constraints, but that appears to be the situation in Southern California.
Pacific Northwest nighttime power prices retreated underwater with ample hydro generation in the region. Mid-Columbia off-peak power spent most of the May 28 to June 4 trading period in negative pricing territory. The hub dropped $7.65 in trading, ending at minus 50 cents/MWh June 4. The day…
Triple-digit temperatures pushed up Western energy prices and demand, particularly as searing highs were charted May 27.
As Pacific Northwest hydro generation continued increasing the week of May 18, Mid-Columbia pricing went underwater and Columbia Generating Station reduced generation to compensate.
With a return to seasonally normal conditions across the West, energy demand and prices fell as the week progressed.
Warm weather across the West this week prompted a continued, gradual increase in power demand for cooling, which lent support to regional peak power prices.
The final California snowpack measurement of the season shows March and April precipitation failed to offset extreme dryness early in the water year.
In recent weeks, California Independent System Operator demand has been softened by state stay-at-home orders; however, usage this week climbed as the week progressed, mirroring rising temperatures.
Demand and market uncertainty continued weighing on Western energy prices as the temporary unavailability of Aliso Canyon storage threw one more spanner in the works for regional natural gas markets.
California energy demand and prices edged up this week after falling in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing the trend and demonstrating that the only constant in the current market is change. Also worth noting, the demand peak shifted back to Monday this week, after previously…
The most recent California snowpack measurement shows March precipitation helped but failed to significantly offset February's extreme dryness.
Western energy prices fell as sharp changes in energy demand and usage patterns pushed electricity and natural gas prices lower.
California Independent System Operator demand decreased throughout the week as voluntary efforts to sequester to stem the spread of COVID-19 transformed into a stay-at-home order by Gov. Gavin Newsom (see related story).
Less domestic natural gas production and more power generation demand should push natural gas prices higher in the third quarter of 2020, but prices are down since the last analysis published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Winter is typically when natural gas supplies are whittled away by weather-prompted withdrawals needed for electric heating, but this year's mild conditions have kept natural gas in storage.
The latest measurement of the California snowpack shows it is below average for this time of year, potentially affecting hydroelectric power and the severity of the upcoming wildfire season.
Natural gas storage in Southern California is nearing capacity, but without heating demand, stores might soon be full, according to a recent analysis by Energy GPS.
After a lengthy out-of-service period that caused frustration with some system users, it appears major repairs of Southern California natural gas distribution infrastructure might be nearing completion.
A shot of cold weather across the West during the trading week resulted in mixed regional energy prices. Enerfax noted that colder weather will only become a factor influencing national prices if it continues moving east.
Continuing warmer-than-normal weather across the West continued to affect regional energy prices.
Western energy prices continued to plummet, depressed by a lack of cold weather across most of the continental United States.
Relatively mild winter conditions across the country are keeping a lid on energy prices.
With 2020 still feeling relatively new, energy analysts are focusing on retrospective price comparisons.
Generally warmer conditions across the country kept a lid on demand and energy prices as the holiday season ended and the new year began.
Increased energy demand helped push Western prices higher in Dec. 12 to Dec. 19 trading.
Western energy prices generally trended lower in the Dec. 5 to Dec. 12 trading period.
Natural gas pipeline disruptions and constraints across the West appear to be on the verge of becoming history as conduits across the region return to normal operating pressure.
Despite Mother Nature fulfilling forecasters' predictions of rain, snow and high winds, Western power prices didn't seem to uniformly respond to the weather cues.
The advent of cooler weather, with possible rain and snow forecast across the West, sent regional energy prices higher at the end of Nov. 14 to Nov. 21 trading. Both power and natural gas prices trended upward as temperatures decreased throughout the week.
The West continues experiencing low amounts of wind generation, which is atypical for this time of year.
With "near-record injection activity" in the April 1 to Oct. 31 natural gas refill season, the national natural gas inventory recovered from low levels at the end of the 2018-2019 heating season, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA estimates working natural gas i…
Cold weather in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains pushed Western energy prices higher throughout the week.
Southern California Gas Co. returned two long-out-of-service natural gas pipelines to operation and released more details about the projected supply changes that will result.
An end to repairs at key infrastructure locations in the West means natural gas transmission flows have resumed, sending some prices lower, although some lines are not yet at full capacity.
Widespread public power shut-offs are being credited with pushing California natural gas prices higher in the Oct. 3 through Oct. 10 trading period.
