Natural gas-fired power generation falls due to higher gas prices (EIA)

The Energy Information Admiinistration (EIA) expects the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas will fall from 34% last year to an average of 32% in 2017 as a result of higher expected natural gas prices. The forecast natural gas share will rise slightly to 33% in 2018. Coal's generation share rises from 30% in 2016 to average 31% in both 2017 and 2018. Nonhydropower renewables are forecast to provide 9% of electricity generation in 2017 and 10% in 2018. The generation share of hydropower is forecast to be relatively unchanged from 2017 to 2018, and the nuclear share declines slightly in 2018,

The U.S. residential electricity price averaged 12.3 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) in January 2017 and is expected to average 12.5 cents/kWh in the first quarter of 2017. EIA expects the annual average U.S. residential electricity price to increase by 3.0% in 2017 and by 2.4% in 2018.

Wind energy capacity at the end of 2016 was 81 gigawatts (GW). EIA expects capacity additions in the next two years will bring total wind capacity to 94 GW by the end of 2018.

(read the Short-Term Energy Outlook Report)