A financial chart showing a sharp upward trend with candlestick patterns.

Over the last few months Dutch TTF futures have rallied at increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In addition to this, all time low storage given increased demand over the year, and delays in the construction of new pipelines have squeezed futures prices. Nord Stream 2 is still facing political pressures and tightening reserves have […]

NSTAR Electric Company energy usage chart for 2022 by sector and month.

Eversource filed its Winter rates with the DPU; prices reflecting current constraints in natural gas supplies in the Northeast. Most notably for Large C&I customers under a variable rate these will be paying close to $0.30/kWh in both January and February, and those under a fixed rate will be paying $0.2754/kWh and $0.2532/kWh for NEMA […]

Stylized atomic model with electrons orbiting a nucleus on green.

In the public eye nuclear power is politicized as being “dirty, dangerous, insecure, outdated, harmful,” among many other things. The reality is the complete opposite. Jacopo Buongiorno, an MIT nuclear engineer has calculated that the life cycle of a nuclear power plant including construction, mining, transport, operation, and decommissioning creates just 1/700th of coal, 1/400th […]

U.S. natural gas exports rise sharply, led by LNG growth from 2014 to 2022.

Over the past few months Natural Gas prices have been trickling up, seeing new highs of around $6/dth from artificially suppressed levels of around $3 during the pandemic. As the supply chain and operations of all industries begin to normalize, an increase in demand for natural gas domestically and internationally are pushing prices higher and […]

Table showing proposed National Grid prices for December and January.

The U.S natural gas markets have been constrained by increases in LNG exports, reduced gas production and storage, and returns to pre-covid levels of demand. Natural Gas prices have risen from the $3 level to $5, and in the New England area natural gas prices are big determinants of electricity prices. Given this recent constraint […]

Nuclear power plant cooling towers glowing at night with reflections in water.

As the climate crisis accelerates, utilities in the U.S are looking to acquire miniature nuclear reactors called SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) to secure a reliable energy source and lower emissions associated to climate change. Over the past decade companies have stopped building nuclear due to rising costs of maintenance and delays. Some utilities interested in […]

Laptop screen showing a pickaxe mining a Bitcoin coin.

Over the past year Bitcoin has been under closer public scrutiny given articles discussing the massive amounts of energy required to mine new Bitcoin and maintain the network. Bitcoin mining is the process through which new Bitcoin is introduced in circulation, based on a Proof of Work (POW) algorithm which requires computers to solve complex […]

Stressed woman overwhelmed by multiple demands at work.

Governor Baker’s administration yesterday showed support for bill S 2150/H 3552 that would ban residential accounts from enrolling with a competitive energy supplier. This policy would not affect residences under municipal aggregations which opt-out of those programs. The proposed law would go into effect on January 1, 2022, explicitly stating: “no supplier, energy marketer, or […]

Gas flare burning atop an industrial stack against a cloudy sky.

Today the Henry Hub Natural gas futures increased around 1.7% to $3.94/mbtu due to increased demand in regional and global gas markets, also led by higher temperatures in Western, Midwestern, and Southern U.S. Expected temperatures from the 90 – 100F this coming week are expected to result in a strong demand for natural gas. Additional […]

U.S. winter weather forecast map, various conditions.

The most recent forecasts for the 2021 Winter Season point to above average amounts of late-season snowfalls and below average temperatures. As natural gas prices climb to their highest since 2018, it will be very important to see how these conditions turn out. Given existing constraints in the natural gas market at this time a […]