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MARKET TREND ANALYSIS

Weekly Energy Market Updates by Region - Archive

 

 

 


Issue week: January 14th, 2021  (Wk 2)

 

POWER MARKETS

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WEST Term prices through the balance of the year continue to increase as the Q3 bid/ask continues to widen, with strong bid interest, in Mid-C and SP15. Hydro generation looks strong so far this year. The recent accumulation of snowpack in the Pacific Northwest should continue for the next few days, and the Northwest River Forecast Center is already forecasting flow through The Dalles Dam for 2021 at 99% of maximum, a 3% increase from the last run.

ERCOT  With the first freezing temperatures of this winter and snow in North and West Texas this week, real-time ATC prices are averaging approximately $8/MWh higher than last week, but the ample reserves still available to meet the morning and afternoon peak loads of more than 55,000 MW have kept that average around only $25/MWh. If temperatures moderate over the next week or so, as forecast, and peak loads settle back in the mid-40,000s MW, real-time price volatility in the near term should be minimal. Meanwhile, fixed term prices continued their retreat as summers traded down again despite a slight increase in the forward NG curve from last week. Peak prices for this summer and next summer were down by $3/MWh and $1.50/MWh, respectively, while outer summers were down to a much lesser extent. As the higher NG prices have somewhat offset the lower summer prices, CY strips ranged from flat to down by $0.50/MWh down the curve.

EAST Prices remain steady but are up slightly from last week with minimal DART spreads. In PJM’s West Hub, Day Ahead is averaging $27/MWh while Real Time is averaging $26/MWh. NYISO’s Hudson Valley is averaging $30/MWh and $31/MWh for Day Ahead and Real Time, respectively. For MISO’s Indiana Hub, the averages are $27/MWh and $28/MWh.

NATURAL GAS 

The EIA reported Thursday morning that, for the week ending January 8, U.S. inventories decreased by 134 Bcf, comfortably within the predicted range of 117 to 141 Bcf. Total stockpiles now stand at 3,196 Bcf, up by 4.1% from a year ago and 7.3% above the five-year average for the same week.

The NYMEX front-month contract began today slightly down before rebounding by a couple of cents with the release of the EIA report but eventually returned to nega-tive territory. The latest trade as of 1:00 p.m. PT was $2.664/MMBtu, $0.063/MMBtu below yesterday’s closing price. Regionally, basis prices at PG&E Citygate and SoCal Border were more or less flat. January cash prices were down slightly at PG&E and SoCal Citygates.

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WEATHER 

Temperatures will be above seasonal averages all over the U.S. in the 1-to-5-day forecast period with near-record peaks in Southern California.

A storm system may hit the Southeast during the 6-to-10-day forecast period. Mean while, temperatures should remain above average in Texas.

Temperatures are projected to drop just below seasonal averages across the country over the 11-to-15-day service period and may be especially low in the Great Plains.

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RENEWABLES HAVE WIND AT THEIR BACK, NEED TO WEAR SHADES

According to the latest projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the rise of re-newable electricity generation over the past decade is not expected to slow down anytime soon. The graph above from the EIA shows that, in fact, more than two-thirds of new generation infrastructure scheduled to come online this year will be wind and solar (large-scale solar to exceed wind-farm growth for the first time). Moreover, because large battery systems are frequently paired with renewable facilities, battery storage capacity should quadruple over the course of 2021, hopefully expanding the deployment of renewable power at peak times.

Beyond the well documented shift of political winds (no pun intended) toward renewables, their rapidly dropping costs—amid an expected increase in the cost of natural gas over the next couple of years—will only strengthen their appeal. Wind and solar may still be far from equal to natural gas, coal, and, to a lesser extent, nuclear in their dominance of the U.S. power industry right now, but the trend is increasingly clear. With the full support of not only the government but also the private sector, they are poised to carve out a larger and larger market share well into the future.

 

 

 

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Disclaimer: This report is for informational purposes only and all actions and judgments taken in response to it are recipient’s sole responsibility. Champion Energy Services does not guaranty its accuracy. This reports is provided ‘as is’. Champion Energy Services makes no expressed or implied representations or warranties of any kind. Except as otherwise indicated in this report, this report shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Champion Energy Services and shall be free from any claim or right, license, title or interest. Champion Energy Services shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from this report.