DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,600 Bcf as of Friday, September 23, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 49 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 90 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 220 Bcf above the five-year average of 3,380 Bcf. At 3,600 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated Injection 54 Bcf
Vs
Actual Injection 49 Bcf
Survey expects stocks to grow by 54 Bcf The US Energy Information Administration will estimate a 54-Bcf injection to natural gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended September 23, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. The EIA plans to release its weekly storage report at 10:30 am EDT Thursday. The expected injection would be just over half of the 99-Bcf build reported at this time in 2015 as well as the five-year average injection, which is 97 Bcf, according to EIA data. The below-average build would mark the 21st consecutive week the injection was significantly less than the five-year historical average and the year prior. An injection of that volume would also continue to shrink the storage surplus. Analysts’ estimates in the survey ranged from an injection of 46 Bcf to 65 Bcf. An injection within analysts’ expectations of 54 Bcf would grow stocks to 3.605 Tcf, 225 Bcf more than the five-year average and 95 Bcf more than the corresponding week last year. It would also pull stocks within 16 Bcf of the five-year maximum level.
More protections coming when you sign up for an electric offer?
The Illinois Commerce Commission (the regulators overseeing consumer protection in Illinois) has issued a first notice that if enacted would offer additional regulatory safeguards to customers selecting a retail energy provider.
Sales conducted in-person such as door to door sales, multilevel marketing and any signing up at a kiosk (say at a fair or church group), would require the energy representative to complete all the following:
- Identification: wear credentials showing picture, full name and company logo
- Criminal background check: completed by a third party (doesn’t disqualify if positive)
- Third party verification of the customer’s enrollment decision (not just a signed agreement but a recording of the customer authorizing the enrollment)
Every alternative retail energy supplier (ARES) in Illinois is required to be authorized by the ICC. Further, every ARES is subject to losing their authorization if their conduct is fraudulent, misleading or abusive.
The ICC is the agency that receives and addresses complaints from consumers. Apparently, they believe there is a need for such new rules. However, it seems unclear to me whether these changes offer new protections. It’s apparent to me that if customers are being enrolled under misleading, fraudulent or abusive tactics then the ICC has the authority to end such practices today.
Realgy is in compliant with current rules and will review any final rule to ensure we stay such.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
ComEd supports Green Energy and Competition…until they don’t.
Sounds political right; I am for it until I am against it.
A transmission line that would carry wind energy from the Midwest into Illinois, 3,500 megawatts or enough power for 1,600,000 homes, was rejected by the Appeals Court of Illinois after ComEd sided against the transmission line.
At stake is ComEd’s monopoly on transmission in their service territory.
ComEd used its standing in Illinois to appeal a decision by the Illinois Commerce Commission though the court. The appeal court’s ruling is confusing and should be reversed by the State Supreme Court. However, it exposed ComEd empty rhetoric of supporting customer choice and green energy….that is until it would be built in their backyard.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,350 Bcf as of Friday, August 19, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 11 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 275 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 350 Bcf above the five-year average of 3,000 Bcf. At 3,350 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated Injection 18 Bcf.
Vs
Actual Injection 11 Bcf.
The US Energy Information Administration on Thursday will estimate a natural gas storage injection of about 18 Bcf for the reporting week ended August 19, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts. The EIA plans to announce its storage report at 10:30 am EDT Thursday. The expected injection would be less than the 66-Bcf build reported at this time in 2015 and the 63-Bcf five-year average increase, according to EIA data. Analysts’ estimates in the survey ranged from 10 Bcf to 24 Bcf.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,339 Bcf as of Friday, August 12, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 22 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 327 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 405 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,934 Bcf. At 3,339 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated Injection 28 Bcf
VS
Actual Injection 22 Bcf
The US Energy Information Administration is expected to estimate a 28-Bcf injection into natural gas storage facilities for the reporting week that ended August 12, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. The expected injection would be much less than the 56-Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 as well as the five-year average, which is a 57-Bcf build, according to EIA data. The below-average build would mark the 15th consecutive week that weekly injections were significantly less than the historical average and last year and would continue to shrink the storage surplus. Analysts’ estimates in the survey ranged from an injection of 23 Bcf to 35 Bcf. An injection of 28 Bcf would grow stocks to 3.345 Tcf, 333 Bcf more than the corresponding week last year and 411 Bcf more than the five-year average
Lansing, MI utility plans to replace coal plant
The Board of Water & Light’s Board of Commissioners are deciding how to proceed with the city-owned utility’s first long-term strategic plan since 2008. The proposal could include a second new natural gas-fired electric plant, this one to replace the outdated Eckert Plant that is scheduled to close by 2020.
The board, in setting such policy, is unleashing market forces to respond. When this coal plant was built, it competed with nothing. That’s right; built in 1950, coal was the only choice. Today, wind, solar, natural gas and nuclear are all competitive. In addition, taking into account environmental factors is now evident in energy planning.
Congratulations to Lansing’s Board of Commissioners; who are setting policy reflective of the current technology and environmental knowledge.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/08/17/bwl-strategic-plan/88864244/
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,288 Bcf as of Friday, July 29, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decline of 6 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 389 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 464 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,824 Bcf. At 3,288 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated injection 1Bcf.
Vs
Actual withdrawal 6Bcf.
The NYMEX September natural gas futures contract jumped 10.6 cents Wednesday to settle at $2.839/MMBtu, boosted by expectations of an atypically small injection into US natural gas storage in the latest reporting week – or possibly even an historic summer withdrawal. “The contract is up because a storage withdrawal is possible, which would make it the third summer draw in history,” said Kyle Cooper, analyst/principal, IAF Advisors. The consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts is for an injection of 1 Bcf into underground storage that week, but analysts’ estimates in the survey ranged from a withdrawal of 4 Bcf to an injection of 5 Bcf. The consensus estimate of 1 Bcf would be much less than the 41-Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and well below the fiveyear average of 54 Bcf, according to EIA data. A below-average build would mark the 13th consecutive week the injection was less than the historical average. It would also be a new record low for this time of year.
Start-Up Retail Supplier Won’t Make Profit on Power Sold, Will Charge Fixed Membership Fee Instead
So the old saying is; wheel goes round and round.
In the OLD Days, only the utility (regulated monopoly) sold power (and distributed it). The utility was not allowed to make a profit on selling power; they could only recover their costs (which were reviewed by the regulators and deemed reasonable).
Deregulation days: energy marketers competed with the utility and each other for supply power to customers. The utility distributed the supplied power. The result: energy marketers were able to reduce customers costs of energy. Illinois’ recently cited 37 billion in savings from energy marketing.
In the 20+ years since deregulation has been rolled out, we are moving back to towards a utility model. In part, because marketing has overtaken the role of education. Most regulators and utilities do not proactively educate their customers in their service options (that is, energy choice is a utility program that is supported by the utility as an option to the utilities’ default service). Therefore, sales tactics or marketing is supposed to educate consumers while selling the service.
Wholesale buying groups, such as COSTCO or BJ, are emerging for energy buying. Wholesale buying club pitch: we don’t profit from energy sales (sound familiar). The fine print: we charge a fixed fee for services. An interesting evolution but confusing all the same. The reason, the use of “wholesale” market is not a uniform description. The term “wholesale” could be used to describe any of 20-100 different energy products and price points. This approach capitalizes on an establish retail sales concept that when applied to energy it appears misleading.
Energy marketing is a proven method of lowering a customer’s retail energy cost and providing value. The evolution of marketers toward adopting the older utility model is recognition of the maturing of retail marketing. Hopefully, the utilities and regulators see the need for proactive education and not reliance on competitors to education and sell simultaneously.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20160628a.html
City of Lansing planning for the next 20 years
Lansing officials and interest parties are planning for the future.
To be taken into account:
- Retirement of coal plant
- Price of carbon emissions
- Reliability of wind energy
- Cost of solar power
- Energy efficiency growth
It’s called Integrated Resource Planning (IRP); in other words all options that would affect the supply, use or cost of energy.
The IRP is important as it identifies the areas that the City officials want to invest in and foresee as viable. It also offers interested parties such as the Sierra Club, energy marketers, power developers, energy efficiency service providers a chance to have input into the IRP.
While this process is local to Lansing it will also be done on every state and even the national level.
This debate will determine the makeup of the next power plants in the US. Let us hope we have a reasoned debate and that the goal of a robust, efficient and varied electrical grid and supply portfolio remains the goal. Because what planning wont accomplish is the continued drive for efficiency in energy production and use.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Additional Information:
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 3,103 Bcf as of Friday, June 17, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net increase of 62 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 618 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 678 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,425 Bcf. At 3,103 Bcf, total working gas is above the five-year historical range.
Estimated 61 Bcf
Vs
Actual 62 Bcf
Analysts expect another below-average weekly injection to gas in storage as the NYMEX front-month natural gas futures contract gained ground early this week to reach its highest price in 10 months. The US Energy Information Administration will estimate an injection of 61 Bcf to natural gas in underground storage for the reporting week that ended June 17, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Platts. The expected injection would be less than the 77 Bcf injection reported at this time in 2015 and much less than the five-year average calling for a build of 88 Bcf, according to EIA data. The below-average build would mark the seventh consecutive week the injection was less than the historical average and would continue to chip away at the storage surplus.
