據油價網2020年8月26日休斯敦報道，美國能源信息署(EIA)周三表示，由于夏季氣溫升高和天然氣價格下跌導致電力需求增加，7月27日美國大陸的天然氣發電量達到了創歷史新高的36吉瓦。

    EIA估計數計算得出，同一天，所謂的天然氣發電燃燒——發電廠消耗的天然氣——達到了創紀錄的472億立方英尺。

    在今年7月27日之前，美國此前的天然氣日燃燒量最高紀錄是在2019年8月6日創下的，當時發電廠消耗了總計454億立方英尺的天然氣。

    EIA表示，今年7月份的7天和8月份的1天，天然氣日燃燒量均超過了454億立方英尺，原因是高溫天氣、天然氣價格比去年夏季有所下降，以及美國各地天然氣發電能力的不斷增長。

    天然氣情報的每日價格系列顯示，今年6月和7月，亨利中心的天然氣基準價格平均比去年同期低了30%。

    根據記錄， 7月27日天然氣發電量占到美國大陸總發電量的45%，煤炭以24%的份額緊隨其后，核能為17%，可再生能源為12%以及其他來源為3%。

    天然氣儲量豐富且價格相對低廉，與某些可再生能源和核能發電不同，天然氣發電能力可以靈活地滿足峰值需求。近幾年來，天然氣一直在取代或替換美國的燃煤發電。

    EIA在8月早些時候曾表示，自2011年以來，美國共有103家燃煤發電廠已轉變為燃氣發電廠或被燃氣發電廠取代。

    李峻 編譯自 油價網

    原文如下：

U.S. Natural Gas Power Generation Hits Record

    Increased electricity demand amid higher summer temperatures and lower natural gas prices sent natural gas-fired power generation in the Lower 48 states to a record 36 gigawatts (GW) on July 27, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.

    The so-called natural gas power burn-—the natural gas consumed by power plants—hit a daily record of 47.2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) on the same day, the EIA has calculated, based on estimates.

    Before July 27 this year, the previous daily record for natural gas power burn in the United States was set on August 6, 2019, when power plants consumed a total of 45.4 Bcf of natural gas.

    This year, natural gas power burn exceeded 45.4 Bcf per day on seven days in July 2020 and one day in August, the EIA said, attributing the records to the heat wave, lower gas prices compared to the summer of 2019, and growing natural gas-fired capacity across the United States.

In June and July 2020, the Henry Hub benchmark prices averaged 30 percent lower compared to the same months of last year, Natural Gas Intelligence’s daily price series showed.

    On the day of the record natural gas burn, July 27, natural gas accounted for 45 percent of all electricity generated in the Lower 48 states, followed by coal with a 24-percent share, nuclear at 17 percent, renewable energy at 12 percent, and other sources at 3 percent, the EIA has estimated.

    Abundant and relatively low-priced natural gas – with natural gas power capacity flexible to meet peak demand unlike some renewable and nuclear capacities – has been displacing or replacing coal-fired power generation in the U.S. in recent years.

    A total of 103 coal-fired power plants were converted to natural gas or replaced by natural gas-fired plants in the United States since 2011, the EIA said earlier this month.