State of the Markets

2020

A Staff Report to the Commission

March 18, 2021

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Energy Policy and Innovation

Division of Energy Market Assessments

This report is a product of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Staff. The views expressed in 

this report, if any, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or the United States of 

America.
Preface

The State of the Markets report prepared by the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation’s Division of Energy 

Market Assessments summarizes key trends in electricity and natural gas markets, important topics, and 

notable developments in 2020. The first section of this report summarizes the effects of major events 

including the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19), severe weather, and significant changes to energy markets; 

the second section then characterizes key fundamentals of the electricity and natural gas markets. 

Key Findings

Efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 made 2020 a unique year since this report’s inception in the year 

2000. In the spring, social-distancing, work-from-home, travel restrictions, and business closures temporarily 

changed energy supply and demand fundamentals. Grid operators encountered and overcame novel 

challenges in accurately forecasting electricity demand and ensuring reliable grid operations while also 

minimizing the risk of transmitting the highly contagious virus to vital personnel. Oil markets experienced 

significant disruptions as contractions in demand led to a dramatic reduction in prices, resulting in delayed or 

deferred drilling decisions for new wells in response to deteriorating project economics. After a steady 

increase since 2017, oil production in the United States declined approximately 8% year-over-year and in May

fell to its lowest point since January of 2018. Natural gas production, however, recorded only a 2% year-overyear decline as production and demand for the fuel relative to oil was less elastic.

Extreme heat and wildfires in the West, as well as an active hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico, highlighted

the critical role of weather in energy market operations and reliability. Each severe weather event presented 

distinct challenges causing loss of load and highlighted the importance of market rules regarding dispatch and 

settlement in emergency situations. Overall, the United States energy sector undertook these challenges and 

sought to protect the integrity of the grid while seeking new opportunities to improve performance of the 

energy markets.

In the wholesale electricity markets, electricity prices declined for the second year in a row to record-low prices 

in some regions. This decline was due to long-run trends in the resource mix, a mild 2019-2020 winter, and 

the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity demand. Natural gas and renewable generation resources 

accounted for most new additions while nuclear and coal generation resources accounted for most 

retirements. Overall, capacity markets operated by the eastern Independent System Operators (ISOs) 

supported enough capacity to ensure reliable operations, even if localized tight conditions persist in some 

regions as shown by high local capacity market prices. In the West, the existing Western Energy Imbalance 

Market expanded, and a new Western Energy Imbalance Service, administered by the Southwest Power Pool, 

Inc. received approval from the Commission to operate in 2021. Finally, most new transmission lines 

scheduled to go into service in 2020 were driven by reliability, aging infrastructure, and load growth needs. 

Although 2020 saw low natural gas benchmark prices, annual natural gas demand and production were similar 

to 2019 for several reasons. Anticipated large declines in natural gas production due to falling oil production 

did not materialize and overall production fell only slightly. At the same time, falling residential, commercial, 

and industrial demand for natural gas was more than offset by record demand from the electricity and export 

sectors as lower cost natural gas-fired generation displaced other fuel sources and LNG export capacity 

continued to grow. Low profitability reduced LNG exports in the summer but a strong recovery by the end 

of the year resulted in record net exports. The highest natural gas storage inventories since 2016 and generally 

mild winter weather across the U.S. also contributed to lower natural gas prices during 2020.
1

Major Events

This first section of the report summarizes four major events in 2020 that influenced energy markets: the 

COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on electricity and natural gas markets; severe weather events in the Western 

United States and Gulf of Mexico; the expansion of wholesale electricity markets in the West; and expansion 

and refinement of electricity market products, including ramping, fast-start pricing, and reserves. 

COVID-19 Impact on Energy Markets

Electricity Markets and Operations

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how 

consumers used electricity and forced grid operators 

to change their operations to address evolving 

market conditions while protecting their staff. As 

communities and companies implemented social 

distancing and stay-at-home measures to combat the 

spread of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, electricity

demand shifted from commercial and industrial uses 

to residential consumption. Overall, electricity

demand in the U.S. dropped about 4% in 2020, as 

commercial and industrial demand dropped 6% and 

8%, respectively, and residential demand rose 1%.

1

 

The decline in electricity demand was most 

significant in April and May. Staff analysis of average 

daily load that adjusts for the weather, day of week, 

and seasonal trends shows an approximate reduction

of load between 4% and 10% during April of 2020 in 

the six Commission-jurisdictional ISOs: California 

Independent System Operator Corporation (CAISO), Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP), Midcontinent

Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM), New York Independent 

System Operator, Inc. (NYISO), and ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE).2 During this same period, prices 

were at their lowest point in the year. Monthly average day-ahead on-peak nodal prices were between $15 

and $20 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in each of these six ISOs.

The decline in commercial and industrial demand and rise in residential use changed daily load patterns as 

well, with demand rising more gradually in the mornings than it normally has. Grid operators worked to 

adjust their load forecasts – a key element of ensuring efficient market results – as COVID-19’s effect on 

1 See EIA, Short-Term Annual Outlook, at 3 (January 2020).

2 Throughout this report we use the term ISO to refer to both ISOs and Regional Transmission Organizations 

(RTOs) for simplicity. Although ISOs and RTOs are distinct legal concepts, as outlined in Commission 

Orders No. 888 and 2000, the distinction is not relevant to the issues discussed herein. 

Fig. 1 Percent Change in Weather-Adjusted Load 

in 2020 from Three-Year Historical Average.

Source: Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite and 

Commission Staff Analysis
2

electricity demand evolved with the institution and then easing of restrictions to mitigate the effects of 

COVID-19. 

The electricity industry successfully operated throughout the year in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic 

challenges. The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council and the North American Electric Reliability 

Corporation (NERC) led the electricity industry in identifying and addressing issues arising from COVID-19

pandemic to ensure continuity of operations, such as: protecting control centers and generation facilities; 

obtaining access to, and operations in, areas with travel restrictions; developing protocols for mutual 

assistance, as are needed in storm restoration; and protecting cyber security and supply chains.

3

Natural Gas and Crude Oil Markets 

The COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of the natural gas market in the United States, but the ties 

between natural gas production and crude oil production in the first six months of 2020 were of particular 

interest. Over the last decade, natural gas produced as a co-product of crude oil-focused drilling rigs, often 

called “associated natural gas,” has become an important part of the country’s natural gas supply, with 12%

of all domestic natural gas production coming from crude oil wells in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy 

Information Administration (EIA). However, in April 2020, U.S. consumption of petroleum fell to its lowest 

level in decades as a result of COVID-19 pandemic-related economic disruptions, and a brief crude oil price 

war during March 2020 between Saudi Arabia and 

Russia after production quota negotiations between 

the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 

and its partner countries (OPEC+) broke down. 

Amid this convergence of downward pressures,

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil

benchmark futures traded at negative prices for the 

first time ever on April 20, 2020. In response, crude 

oil production in the United States fell from a record 

high of 12.9 million barrels of oil per day (BOPD) in 

November 2019 to 10.0 million BOPD in May 2020, 

the lowest level in 2.5 years. Oil and natural gas 

producers shut in some wells and limited the number 

of new wells brought online over that time period. 

Total operating oil and natural gas drilling rigs 

dropped by 68%, from 790 rigs in January 2020 to 

250 rigs in August 2020.

The decline in crude oil production was expected to significantly decrease the production of associated natural 

gas. However, while crude oil production declined by approximately 8% year-over-year in 2020; natural gas 

production declined by 2%. This relatively modest decline for natural gas, given the impacts of the COVID19 pandemic and lower prices, was largely due to: a rebound in production from natural gas-focused shale 

wells that had been shut-in early in the year, proportionally more natural gas production from older crude oil

focused wells, and production optimizations for new natural gas wells. Reluctance from natural gas and oil 

3 See Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus, Electricity Subsector 

Coordinating Council, at 1 (March 2020).

Source: Federal Reserve Economic Database, 

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Fig. 2 West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil 

Price, 2020
3

producing companies to invest significant capital into drilling new wells and, at times, well curtailments have

kept production of crude oil below its end of 2019 peak. By October 2020, the latest date for which final 

production numbers are available from the EIA, crude oil production had only marginally increased to 10.4 

million BOPD. WTI crude oil prices recovered to $40 per barrel by July and began to increase further at the 

end of 2020 to almost $50 per barrel with the dual announcements of an OPEC+ agreement to limit 

production increases in 2021 and COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and low commodity prices also led to an increase in bankruptcy 

filings by energy companies, according to S&P Global.4 In 2020, 69 energy companies filed for bankruptcy 

protection, a 33% increase from 2019 and the most to file for bankruptcy protection since 2016. Of the 69 

energy company bankruptcy filings, 36 were filed by oil and natural gas exploration and production companies 

and 19 were filed by oil and natural gas equipment and services companies. Additionally, 13 of the energy 

companies to file for bankruptcy had assets worth over $1 billion at the initial time of filing. 

Severe Weather Events

Heatwaves and Wildfires in the West

In August and September 2020, states in the Western 

U.S. experienced average temperatures 3 to 5 °F

above normal. Twice during this time, in the middle 

of August and early September, the Southern part of 

the West experienced sustained extreme heat that 

increased electricity demand. For California, CAISO

ordered two controlled load shedding events — for 

two hours on August 14 and for 20 minutes on 

August 15. Each load shedding event affected more 

than 300,000 customers. On August 14, from around 

6:00 PM to 7:15 PM, CAISO invoked shortage 

pricing, amid Power Balance Constraint violations,

and the Real-Time System Marginal Energy Cost was 

set to the CAISO offer cap of $1,000/MWh. 

Notably, the locational marginal prices (LMPs) paid 

by the load serving entities were higher than CAISO’s 

System Marginal Energy Cost because of the cost of 

congestion. The congestion costs along with cost of losses are added to the System Marginal Energy Cost to 

calculate the LMPs. The two controlled load shedding events in August exposed evening supply challenges, 

among other issues,5 as solar generation output fell off after the sun set but demand continued to be high. 

4 Energy companies as defined by S&P Global includes non-Commission-jurisdictional entities such as oil 

field services providers.

5 Other issues exposed by the event included convergence bidding and under-scheduling practices in the dayahead energy markets and weather-driven electricity demand exceeding resource adequacy targets. E.g.,

Source: CAISO OASIS

Fig. 3 CAISO August 14, 2020 

Real-Time System Marginal Energy Cost 

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

System Marginal Cost ($/MWh)

Time

Demand Peak:

4:56 PM 

Net Demand Peak:

6:51 PM

Controlled 

Load Shed 

Duration
4

Currently, CAISO’s resource planning process focuses on ensuring sufficient supply to meet the demand peak

and not the net demand peak. However, during certain periods planning to meet the net demand peak or 

when demand for electricity less wind and solar generation is at its highest during the day, may provide a 

better measure to use to allow the region to serve load sufficiently. Several weeks later, in early September 

2020, another heatwave broke temperature records but CAISO addressed the corresponding demand without 

shedding load. 

Other than record-breaking heat, the West experienced an exceptionally severe fire season this past year. 

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, five of the ten largest wildfires on 

record in California occurred in 2020. Because sparks from energized electricity lines pose the risk of wildfires 

amid extreme weather conditions, California utilities may implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to 

mitigate the risk of wildfires by de-energizing transmission and distribution lines.

6

 A PSPS event can impact 

thousands of customers for multiple days as life-threatening conditions prevent utilities from assessing the 

damages and conducting the necessary repairs. In June 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission 

updated and added additional guidelines for de-energizing of electricity facilities and adopted short-term 

actions to accelerate microgrid development and related resiliency solutions.

7

Also in California last year, wildfires reduced solar 

output. In August and September 2020, CAISO solar 

electricity generation declined approximately onethird below July 2020 levels as offshore winds pushed 

wildfire smoke into Southern California — where 

most of the installed solar capacity resides. The 

smoke resulting from the record-setting wildfires 

reduced the electricity production from installed solar 

resources. For example, a wildfire triggered by 

lightning between Sacramento and Eureka,

California, known as the August Complex fire, 

coincided with a large drop in solar output in the 

middle of August. Solar generation output 

temporarily returned to normal levels by the month’s

end before the Creek fire, originating near Fresno, 

caused a similar drop in solar output in September.

California Independent Operator, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Energy Commission, 

Final Roost Cause Analysis: Mid-August 2020 Extreme Heat Wave, (January 13, 2021). 

6 Typically, utilities initiate temporary power shutoffs in specific areas where intense winds and extreme heat 

are present and may cause power lines and equipment to fail. 

7 See, Decision 20-05-051, Rulemaking 18-12-005 (California Public Utilities Commission, June 5, 2020)

(Requiring working groups and an advisory board, de-energization exercises, timely notices to affected 

populations, community resource centers, and power restoration within 24 hours from the termination of 

PSPS events). Decision 20-06-017, Rulemaking 19-09-009 (California Public Utilities Commission, June 17, 

2020) (Calling for short-term actions to accelerate microgrid development and related resiliency solutions). 

Fig. 4 Daily Solar Generation in CAISO

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Jul Aug Sep Oct

Gigawatt-hours

Months

August 16

August Complex 

fire started

August 18

North Complex 

fire started

September 4

Creek fire started

Source: Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite
5

Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico

With 30 named storms, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane 

season was the most active on record. The high 

winds and storm surge associated with these 

hurricanes threatened the reliability of the power 

grid and natural gas and crude oil production in the 

Gulf of Mexico. 

Three hurricanes made landfall in MISO’s footprint 

along the Gulf Coast, causing severe damage to local 

transmission and distribution systems. Most 

significant, on August 27, Hurricane Laura made 

landfall in Cameron, Louisiana as a category 4 storm 

with wind speeds of 150 mph — the strongest storm 

to hit Louisiana since 1856. As it moved through 

Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Arkansas, it caused 

considerable damage to the transmission and 

distribution system. Entergy reported 1,459 transmission structures as damaged or destroyed, 316 substations 

affected, and 2,792 miles of lines damaged in its Louisiana service territory. Restoration of the transmission 

and distribution network took several months and required the deployment of line workers and material from 

transmission projects in the surrounding regions. 

The destruction of distribution and transmission equipment by Hurricane Laura caused the loss of power for 

nearly one million customers in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The damage was 

particularly severe near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where transmission outages created a load pocket in MISO’s 

footprint near the border with SPP and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). With several 

generators on outage in anticipation of the storm and others tripped during the event, MISO instructed the 

shedding of approximately 570 megawatts (MW) of load in the load pocket to maintain reliability of the grid.

A software limitation prevented MISO from automatically implementing emergency pricing at MISO’s Value 

of Loss Load (VOLL) of $3,500/MWh in the load pocket. Instead, during the emergency, the real time LMP

was below $20/MWh on average. Because the price signals were inconsistent with the system’s need, 

operators had to manually re-dispatch multiple units. Revised settlements at VOLL after the event included

approximately $90 million in balancing congestion. MISO established proper pricing by the October 10 

landfall of Hurricane Delta, which incentivized some generation to return from outage early and units to 

switch from ERCOT to MISO as needed. In December 2020, MISO submitted proposed improvements to 

its emergency pricing construct to the Commission to address some of the pricing issues that arose during the 

Hurricane Laura event.8

 

The 2020 hurricane season also affected crude oil and natural gas production. The growth of onshore shale 

production in the early 2000s diversified U.S. natural gas supply such that offshore production represents less 

than 3% of total US dry gas production, thus mitigating the price effects of major gulf storms. But offshore 

production in the Gulf of Mexico remains important because of its proximity to major demand markets in 

8 Midcontinent Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc., Filing, Docket No. ER21-7000 (December 21, 2020).

Source: Entergy’s Hurricane Laura Recovery Report

Fig. 5 Hurricanes in MISO’s Footprint, 2020 
6

the Southeast. The Interior Department’s Bureau of 

Safety and Environmental Enforcement monitored

six storms threatening oil and natural gas offshore 

production in the Gulf of Mexico in 2020. Except 

during the weeks of major storm events, offshore gas 

production remained stable from June through 

November, at an average just under 2.3 Billion cubic 

feet per day (Bcfd). On average, at their peak, the six 

storms caused the temporary shut-in of 49% of 

offshore gas production and 65% of offshore crude 

oil production, which represents 1.2 million BOPD. 

Together, Hurricanes Laura and Marco shut-in more 

than 60% of offshore natural gas production for four 

days and over 80% of offshore oil production for 

about six days. Hurricanes Delta and Zeta came at 

the tail end of hurricane season in the beginning and 

end of October, respectively. Delta had the 

strongest peak impact of all hurricanes for the 2020

season as it shut-in about 62% of offshore gas production and more than 91% of crude oil production for 

four days. Zeta peaked at nearly the same levels of supply destruction as Delta, but peak shut-ins were 

sustained for only one day. 

Regarding LNG facilities, the 2020 hurricane season had longer duration impacts on Gulf Coast LNG facilities 

than the storms’ effects on natural gas and crude oil supply. This occurred even as LNG exports were 

recovering from low capacity utilization over the summer due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on 

foreign import markets. Recorded feedgas, the natural gas that is liquefied for export at LNG terminals, 

fluctuated significantly as the storms disrupted operations at the coastal facilities in their paths. The back-toback impacts from Hurricanes Laura and Marco caused Gulf Coast LNG feedgas levels to drop 49% over the 

week of August 24, 2020, down to the lowest point of the year at 1.57 Bcfd on August 26. Power lines that 

supply the Cameron LNG terminal were damaged, while draft restrictions on the Calcasieu waterway also 

occurred, preventing Cameron LNG from shipping any LNG from late August until October 5. However, 

with improving profitability on shipments to foreign export markets and no further lasting hurricane impacts,

total U.S. Gulf Coast LNG feedgas recovered, peaking at 10.81 Bcfd on December 13, 2020. The many other 

factors affecting U.S. LNG will be covered in more detail in the Natural Gas Fundamentals section of this 

report.

Expansion and Refinement of Electricity Markets 

Expansion of Electricity Markets in the West

Centrally dispatched electricity markets continued to expand in the West in 2020. Two public power utilities 

– Salt River Project and Seattle City Light – joined the CAISO-run Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) 

on April 1, 2020, bringing the number of utilities in the EIM to 11. An additional five utilities are expected 

to join or expand their participation in the EIM in 2021: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Public 

Service Company of New Mexico, NorthWestern Energy, Turlock Irrigation District, Balancing Authority of 

Northern California. 

Fig. 6 Hurricanes’ Impact on Natural Gas

Source: National Hurricane Center; S&P Global Platts; 

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement 
7

Elsewhere in the West, an SPP-administered 

Western Energy Imbalance Service market (WEIS) 

received Commission approval on December 23, 

2020. Like the EIM, WEIS operates as a real-time 

wholesale electricity market that balances load and 

generation in participating regions, and prices 

generation using an LMP model. Initial market 

participants include Basin Electric Power 

Cooperative, Deseret Power Electric Cooperative, 

Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, Tri-State 

Generation and Transmission Association, 

Wyoming Municipal Power Agency, and three 

Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) 

marketing regions: Upper Great Plains West, Rocky 

Mountain Region, and Colorado River Storage. 

WEIS successfully launched as of February 1, 2021. 

Expansion and Refinement of Electricity Market Products

As the technologies underpinning the electrical grid change, so too do the market rules governing electricity 

production and compensation. In 2020, most ISOs continued to expand and refine their market products to 

better achieve the goal of least-cost, reliable electricity while also addressing new challenges that can emerge 

with a growing share of variable resources. Several of these changes to the market rules better encourage, and 

more accurately compensate, flexible resources through market commitment and dispatch instead of out-ofmarket interventions by the grid operator. 

In 2020, the Commission approved a ramping product in SPP intended to directly compensate resources that

are directed to ramp-up or ramp-down generation in the near-term (i.e. 10-minutes).9 In general, ramping 

products help balance short-run fluctuations in supply and demand and are co-optimized with other ancillary 

services and the energy market in order to minimize overall system costs. SPP for instance found a ramping 

product would have reduced the frequency of historical scarcity events by 84% while also reducing the need 

for out-of-market operator interventions.10 Other regions with a sizeable share of variable resources — MISO 

and CAISO — have already implemented Commission-approved ramping products for their markets.11 

Several other market refinements moved forward in 2020. Both SPP and PJM made progress in either 

implementing or advancing fast-start pricing reforms so that prices better reflect the marginal cost of serving 

load.

12 In addition, PJM revised its pricing of reserves — resources held on reserve to match short-run 

9 Southwest Power Pool, Inc., 172 FERC ¶ 61,027 (2020). 

10 Sw. Power Pool, Inc., Filing, Docket No. ER20-1617 (April 21, 2020).

11 Midcontinent Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc., 149 FERC ¶ 61,095 (2014). Cal. Indep. Sys. Operator Corp., 

156 FERC ¶ 61,226, at P 1 (2016).

12 Sw. Power Pool, Inc., 172 FERC ¶ 61,038 (2020). PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 173 FERC ¶ 61,028 (2020)

Fig. 7 Centrally Dispatched Electricity Markets

in the West 

Source: Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite 
8

fluctuations in the balance of supply and demand that will be implemented in 2022.

13Finally, MISO’s new 30-

minute short-term reserve product was approved by the Commission in 2020 and is scheduled to be 

implemented in late 2021.14 MISO projects this reserve product will reduce out-of-market operator 

interventions, reduce net production costs by $5 million annually, and reduce make-whole payments by $1.6 

million annually.

15

Market Fundamentals

This second section of the report summarizes observed trends in electricity and natural gas market 

fundamentals during the year 2020 including prices, demand, production, and infrastructure changes. 

Electricity

Wholesale Electricity Price

For the second year in a row, wholesale electricity 

prices declined from the prior year. Annual average 

day-ahead on-peak prices declined from 2019 to 

2020 at all representative nodal pricing hubs except 

for CAISO SP15 and Palo Verde near Southern 

California. The greatest price reduction was in 

ERCOT, where stressed market conditions in the 

summer of 2019 led to high average electricity prices

for that year. Of the remaining ISO trading hubs, 

the price declines were greater in the Northeast and 

Mid-Atlantic than they were in the Midwest and

Great Plains. For example, prices were 27% lower 

at NYISO Zone J in New York City, 14% lower at 

MISO Indiana Hub, and 17% lower at SPP North in 

Nebraska.

As discussed earlier, lower wholesale electricity 

prices in 2020 were due to COVID-19 pandemicrelated demand reductions. Equally important for electricity prices, 2020 was a year of low natural gas prices 

and a mild winter. Power plant operations and profitability are influenced by lower wholesale electricity prices 

in the energy market. For example, net revenue, which is total revenue less short-run marginal cost, of a new 

13 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 171 FERC ¶ 61,153 (2020).

14 Midcontinent Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc., 170 FERC ¶ 61,075 (2020). 

15 Midcontinent Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc, Filing, Docket No. ER20-42, at P 11 (Oct. 4, 2019).

Fig. 8 Change in Annual Average Day-Ahead OnPeak Price from 2019 for Select Nodes

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
9

hypothetical natural gas combined cycle power plant in PJM would have been 23% lower in the first three 

quarters of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.16

Electricity prices followed similar geographic 

patterns in 2020 as in previous years. Average 

wholesale prices were lower in the Great 

Plains, where there was less demand for 

electricity, a greater potential for low-marginal 

cost wind energy, and greater access to natural 

gas. Wholesale electricity prices in the West 

remained higher than those in the east, on 

average. In the eastern interconnection, Long 

Island in New York and the western shore of

Chesapeake Bay experienced consistent 

transmission congestion which contributed to 

higher wholesale prices compared to 

neighboring areas. Price separation was also 

evident between ISOs such as SPP and MISO 

along the Kansas and Missouri border. Here, price separation is due to inefficiencies that prevent the 

economic transfer of energy between regions including insufficient transmission capacity.

Electricity Demand

Like last year, total electricity demand declined in every Commission-jurisdictional ISO. Although the effects 

of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity demand made 2020 unique, this year is consistent with a recent 

trend of limited-to-no electricity demand growth due to, in part, more efficient energy use. However, as more 

state and local governments have promoted additional electrification of transportation and heating in recent 

years,17 this trend of limited-to-no growth may eventually reverse. 

Early in 2020, mild winter weather reduced electricity demand below the seasonal average across all 

Commission-jurisdictional ISOs. Beginning in March, the spread of COVID-19 and measures to mitigate the 

spread of the virus dissociated electricity demand from its historical relationship with temperature. In the late 

summer, however, electricity demand was near the seasonal average as temperatures were above average and 

the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on demand attenuated slightly. Towards the end of the year, a 

resurgence of COVID-19 cases reduced electricity demand again. 

16 See Monitoring Analytics, L.L.C., Quarterly State of the Market Report for PJM: January through September, at 359 

(November 12, 2020).

17 See e.g., Kristy Hartman and Laura Shields, State Policies Promoting Hybrid and Electric Vehicle, National 

Conference of State Legislatures (Nov. 20, 2020), https://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/state-electricvehicle-incentives-state-chart.aspx.

Fig. 9 Annual Average Day-Ahead On-Peak Price at 

ISO and Non-ISO Pricing Nodes in 2020

Source: Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite
10

Two current developments in electricity demand are 

likely to transform electricity markets in the coming 

years. First, the growth of solar- and wind-based 

resources that are variable reorients system planning 

towards patterns in demand net of wind and solar 

generation. In 2020, this development was most 

clear during the summer heatwave in CAISO

discussed earlier, when supply challenges due to 

several factors appeared during the rapid increase in 

net demand at the end of the day. Second, 

technological advances in Distributed Energy 

Resources (DERs) can make electricity demand 

more flexible. Using a remote signal, these 

technologies can increase or decrease the electricity 

consumed by some sources of demand, like a space 

heater. Several companies are exploring ways to 

aggregate sources of electricity demand into a single “virtual power plant” that interfaces with the wholesale 

market — as envisioned in Commission Order No. 2222 issued in September 2020 to promote participation 

of DER aggregations in wholesale markets — in order to more easily balance demand with weather-based 

fluctuations in electricity production as well as provide reliability services when requested.

18

Installed Capacity Changes

In 2020, the continental United States added over 41 

gigawatts (GW) of new capacity — 60% higher than 

the average capacity additions between 2015 and 

2019. Capacity retirements, at nearly 14 GW, were

lower compared to the five-year average of 19 GW. 

The largest shares of additions came from renewable

and natural gas resources, at 32 GW and 7.5 GW 

respectively, while most of the retirements came 

from coal resources at 9.6 GW. In the last decade, 

total annual coal retirements peaked at 14.8 GW in 

2015 and averaged 8 GW per year since 2010.

Within the Commission-jurisdictional ISOs, MISO 

had the largest share of capacity additions including

5.9 GW of wind and 2.4 GW of natural gas 

generation. PJM had the largest share of capacity 

retirements at 2.6 GW, mostly from coal generation. 

Over the last year, NYISO was the only jurisdictional ISO to experience a net decrease in capacity with the 

retirement in April 2020 of Indian Point Unit 2, a 1 GW nuclear unit. SPP added 5.4 GW of wind generation 

18 Participation of Distributed Energy Resource Aggregations in Markets Operated by Regional Transmission Organizations 

and Independent System Operators, Order No. 2222, 172 FERC ¶ 61,247 (2020).

Fig. 10 Average Hourly Demand, 2016-2020

Source: Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite

Fig. 11 Capacity Additions and Retirements, 2020 

Source: EIA Form 860M 
11

and CAISO added 1.9 GW of solar, 1.4 GW of natural gas, and 626 MW of battery storage capacity. Outside 

of the Commission-jurisdictional ISOs, capacity increased by 16.6 GW and retirements accounted for 5.7 

GW. The capacity additions primarily came from 8.3 GW of wind, 7 GW of solar, and 1.1 GW of natural gas 

capacity. Coal generation accounts for most of the retirements within those regions at 5.2 GW.

The landscape of future battery storage projects is 

rapidly evolving as reflected in capacity additions in 

2020. Installed and planned battery storage 

projects have ramped up amid decreasing storage 

costs,19 state incentives and mandates, and 

Commission Order No. 841 issued in 2018 to 

promote energy storage participation in wholesale 

electricity markets.20 For battery storage, the

capacity additions almost quadrupled in 2020, 

increasing from 152 MW in 2019 to 733 MW in 

2020. The largest share of added capacity came 

from CAISO (626 MW), where public policy goals 

to achieve 100% emissions free energy by 2045

includes additional investments in battery storage. 

Between October and November of 2020, for 

example, battery storage capacity additions planned 

for the year 2023 nearly tripled according to the 

EIA’s monthly inventory of electricity generators. Data from the November 2020 inventory (released in 

January 2021) showed that CAISO plans to add over 3.6 GW, and ERCOT and NYISO each plan to add 

over 1.2 GW of battery storage by 2023.

Installed net metering capacity growth in 2020 was similar to the prior years, with 14% annual growth (3.3

GW) concentrated in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, and Arizona. California accounts for 

nearly 40% of total net metering capacity and photovoltaic DERS make up most of the installed technologies 

at 94%. As of June 2020, 40 States and DC have adopted mandatory net metering rules.21 Commission Order 

No. 2222 issued in September 2020 is anticipated to increase participation of aggregated DERs in wholesale 

markets similar to the way in which Commission Order No. 841 paved the way for energy storage. 

19 In the United States, average utility-scale battery storage capacity costs have decreased over 70% since 2015. 

See EIA, Utility-scale storage costs decreased nearly 70% between 2015 and 2018, (October 23, 2020), 

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45596

20 Electric Storage Participation in Markets Operated by Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System 

Operators, Order No. 841, 162 FERC ¶ 61,127 (2018).

21 DSIRE, Net Metering (June 2020), http://ncsolarcen-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/wpcontent/uploads/2020/06/DSIRE_Net_Metering_June2020.pdf

Source: EIA Form 860M 

Fig. 12 Battery Storage Capacity Additions
12

Operating Capacity and Generation Fuel Mix

The capacity additions and retirements summarized 

in the prior section changed the proportion of 

capacity available for different fuel-types in each 

region. Data from the EIA shows the share of 

operating capacity available by primary fuel type at 

the end of 2019 and 2020 in Commissionjurisdictional ISO balancing authorities in Figure 13. 

Coal and nuclear power plant retirements had a 

noticeable effect on those resources’ operating 

capacity share in most ISOs. Wind and solar 

operating capacity shares increased in all ISOs; 

notably the increase of wind operating capacity’s

share increased in SPP and MISO and solar 

operating capacity’s share increased in CAISO. 

According to hourly data from U.S. balancing 

authorities, collected by the EIA, natural gas 

accounted for 39% of electricity net generation22 in 

continental U.S. balancing authorities during 2020 -

an increase from 36% the prior year. In contrast, 

coal power plants generated a smaller share in 2020, 

down from 24% in 2019 to 20% in 2020. Nuclear

power plant, accounting for 21% of U.S. electricity 

in 2019 and 2020, accounted for an equal share in 

both years as nuclear capacity retirements were 

offset by COVID-19 pandemic-related reductions in 

electricity demand. Solar and wind-based resources 

generated a greater share of electricity in 2020 than 

the year prior; collectively their share of electricity 

generation increased from 9% in 2019 to 11% in 

2020. 

Every Commission-jurisdictional ISO except for CAISO experienced a reduction in the share of electricity 

generated from both coal plants and nuclear power plants combined. Although capacity retirements 

contributed to the decrease of nuclear and coal generation, so too did lower natural gas prices, lower electricity 

prices, and COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges in refueling and performing maintenance on power 

plants. In PJM, NYISO, and ISO-NE, natural gas made up the difference in nuclear and coal generation from 

2019 to 2020. In SPP and MISO, the reduction in coal generation was met in part with an increase of electricity 

generated by wind-based resources. Hydropower resources generated noticeably less electricity in CAISO 

22 Electricity net generation is the quantity of gross electricity generation a generator produces minus the 

electricity used to operate the power plant.

Fig. 13 Nameplate Capacity Fuel Mix

Source: EIA-860M

Source: EIA-930 and CAISO

Fig. 14 Net Generation Fuel Mix
13

during 2020 relative to the prior year because less than average snowpack accumulated in the CAISO region 

during the 2019-2020 winter.23

Capacity Markets

A capacity market is a mechanism to procure sufficient resources to meet future energy demand and to 

maintain the reliability of the power grid. These markets supplement the energy and ancillary services markets 

by providing economic signals that facilitate resource entry, exit, and investment decisions. The proportion 

of capacity costs to total costs to serve electricity varies between markets. PJM’s Market Monitor estimated 

that capacity payments made up 21.3% of wholesale electricity costs between January and September of 2020, 

while ISO-NE estimated capacity made up 41% of wholesale electricity costs for Summer 2020.24

ISO-New England’s Forward Capacity Auction (FCA), which occurred in February 2020, for the 2023-2024 

capacity commitment period had the lowest price in the market’s history. ISO-wide capacity prices cleared at 

a weighted average of $2.00 per kilowatt-month (kW-month), which was a decline of 47% from the prior year. 

More than 600 MW of new generation received capacity commitments, including 317 MW of capacity with 

the new renewable technology resource designation. This renewable technology resource designation allows 

a renewable resource to participate in the auction without being subject to the Minimum Offer-Price Rule.

Weighted average capacity prices for Rest of State in NYISO rose 64% from 2019 price levels to $1.40/kWmonth on average. Prices in New York City, which is the ISO’s highest cost zone, experienced a similar price 

increase of 52% over the 2019 level to $12.05/kW-month. By comparison, prices in the Lower Hudson Valley 

declined by 53%, and prices in Long Island declined by 9%. These price changes were partially the result of 

changes in NYISO’s Locational Minimum Installed Capacity Requirements (LCRs), as well as changes in 

natural gas prices and installed capacity retirements, including the retirement of the Indian Point Unit 2 at the 

end of April. 

Historically, MISO’s Planning Resource Auction (PRA) clears at prices much lower than the other ISO 

capacity markets. In 2020, most zones in MISO cleared at $0.15/kW-month for the 2020-2021 capacity 

commitment period — $0.05 higher than the prior auction. However, Zone 7, representing the Lower 

Peninsula of Michigan, showed major price separation, clearing at $7.83/kW-Month. This separation 

occurred due to a 123 MW capacity shortfall, 0.53% below the reserve requirement, in Zone 7. This shortfall 

marked the first time a zone was short since the inception of the PRA. Contributing to this shortfall were 

new, more stringent requirements for participation in the PRA that disqualified units on extended outage 

during the Planning Year.

23 EIA-930 data were supplemented with data on hydropower electricity generation from CAISO. 

24 Monitoring Analytics, L.L.C., Quarterly State of the Market Report for PJM: January through September, at 14

(November 12, 2020). ISO New England’s Internal Market Monitor, Summer 2020 Quarterly Markets Report ̧

at 17 (November 11, 2020). 
14

PJM did not conduct an auction during 2020 but has scheduled for May of 2021 the next capacity auction 

covering the 2022/2023 Delivery Year. PJM plans to hold subsequent auctions in PJM on an accelerated 

basis – every six months – through 2024.25

Transmission

Over 800 line-related transmission projects within 

Commission-jurisdictional transmission planning 

regions were scheduled to go into service in 2020

according to data from The C Three Group, L.L.C. 

Most new projects were in MISO and PJM. For 

these two regions, the reported cost of all linerelated transmission projects for which data are 

available was $2.4 and $3.6 billion, respectively. 

Across all regions, reliability, aging infrastructure, 

load growth, and new generation were the primary 

drivers of most new line-related transmission 

projects. Overall, there were twice as many 

reliability projects as the second most common 

project type. The same data show, in 2020,

economics was the primary driver of seven projects 

and public policy was the primary driver of one 

project. 

Of all line-related transmission projects scheduled to 

go into service during 2020, four were selected as part of a competitive bidding process required by Order 

No. 1000, which was issued in 2011 to reform transmission planning and cost allocation.

26 In 2020, four 

transmission planning regions – PJM, NYISO, SPP, and ISO-NE – awarded to developers or requested 

proposals for new transmission projects as part of a competitive bidding process compliant with Order No. 

1000. Data from The C Three Group, L.L.C. reports that only one line-related transmission project scheduled 

to go into service in 2020 was completed by a merchant transmission developer: the Harry Allen - Eldorado 

Desert Link in WestConnect completed by LS Power.

Two noteworthy interregional developments occurred in 2020. First, in June, MISO’s board approved an 

interregional project previously approved by PJM near the Indiana-Michigan border along Lake Michigan. 

Second, in September, MISO and SPP announced a Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue Study to find 

comprehensive, cost-effective projects along the seam between Nebraska and Kansas in MISO and Iowa and 

Missouri in SPP. This study comes after four prior efforts were unable to find projects both regions were 

willing to pursue. Otherwise, WestConnect, NorthernGrid, and CAISO continued to collectively evaluate 

25 See PJM Reestablishes Capacity Auction Schedule at: https://insidelines.pjm.com/pjm-reestablishescapacity-auction-schedule/

26 Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation by Transmission Owning and Operating Public Utilities, Order No. 1000, 

136 FERC ¶ 61,051 (2011).

Fig. 15 Transmission Projects With 2020 in Service 

Dates Within Order No. 1000 Planning Regions

Source: North American Electric Transmission Project 

Database, The C Three Group, L.L.C.
15

interregional projects in 2020, like they have since 2015, through their annual Interregional Transmission 

Project planning process.

Natural Gas

Natural Gas Prices

In 2020, the Henry Hub national benchmark 

spot price averaged $1.99 per million British 

thermal units (MMBtu), down from 

$2.51/MMBtu in 2019, and all major natural gas 

trading hubs experienced lower average prices 

in 2020 in comparison to the five-year average 

for the period 2015-2019. The year began with 

relatively low natural gas prices across the U.S. 

as a result of reduced demand for space heating 

due to mild winter weather. Mitigation efforts 

related to the COVID-19 pandemic reduced 

natural gas consumption, which resulted in a 

general downward pressure on prices through 

the first half of the year. A price recovery began 

in the second half of the year with increasing 

LNG exports and anticipated winter demand, 

but price increases were muted due to the 

resilience of domestic production, with the Henry Hub price averaging $2.21/MMBtu for the last six months 

of the year. Some regional hubs did separate from the Henry Hub benchmark at higher prices.

Generally, prices at regional hubs followed the same trends in 2020 as Henry Hub prices which declined 

approximately 20% from 2019 but strengthened by year end. However, the Waha hub located in the Permian 

Basin, the SoCal City-Gate hub near Los Angeles, and the Algonquin City-Gates hub in New England were 

more volatile in the second half of the year as seen 

in Figure 17. SoCal City-Gate prices recovered 

substantially in the second half of 2020, from an 

average of $1.80/MMBtu in the second quarter of 

2020 to average $4.07/MMBtu in the fourth quarter 

of 2020. Average prices declined significantly yearover-year at the Algonquin City-Gates hub, down 

37% to $2.00/MMBtu, and the SoCal City-Gate, 

down 26% to $3.01/MMBtu. 

Prices at the Waha hub, which is associated with the 

Permian Basin production region increased from an 

average of $0.83/MMBtu in 2019 to $1.11/MMBtu 

in 2020, due to the partial relief of a prior constraint 

on takeaway capacity, capacity which allows the 

transportation of local production to downstream 

markets. With increasing natural gas production 

Fig. 16 Average 2020 Platts Gas Daily Index Prices at 

Major Hubs

Source: S&P Global Platts; Hitachi Powergrids Velocity Suite

Note: Region coloring is based on average prices at the nearest 

Staff-selected major natural gas hubs and may not exactly 

represent local delivered prices.

Source: S&P Global Platts 

Fig. 17 Trends in Select Platts Gas Daily Index

Prices in 2020
16

levels in the Permian Basin, prices at the local Waha hub remained depressed into spring 2020. Platts Gas 

Daily next-day gas indices at the Waha hub averaged $0.50/MMBtu from January through March, a -

$1.37/MMBtu basis to Henry Hub. However, the basis difference between the Waha hub and Henry Hub 

tightened after oil prices collapsed in April and averaged $0.26/MMBtu from May through July. Permian 

Basin natural gas production increased in the fall to average an all-time high of 12 Bcfd in October, causing 

Waha prices to again decrease and separate from Henry Hub prices. Next-day index prices at the Waha hub 

were negative for 10 days over October 2020 and the basis to Henry Hub decreased to as low as -

$3.72/MMBtu on October 24 due to limited takeaway capacity. But this capacity began to increase in late 

October when the Permian Highway Pipeline started limited service, alleviating natural gas pipeline constraints 

and supporting Waha index prices to average $2.28/MMBtu in November and December. The 2.1 Bcfd 

Permian Highway Project officially entered commercial service on January 1, 2021 and is expected to provide 

an outlet for continued Permian Basin natural gas production growth moving forward. This pipeline will 

allow rising Permian Basin production to seek outlets at Gulf Coast markets.

Natural Gas Production

U.S. natural gas production averaged 91.3 Bcfd in 2020, 

a 1.7 Bcfd or 2% reduction from 2019. 27 The yearover-year decrease reverses the trend of increasing 

natural gas production in the shale era, after record 

increases in production of 9.4 Bcfd in 2018 and 8.8 Bcfd 

in 2019. These record increases were driven by 

production from shale formations, such as the 

Marcellus and within the Permian Basin, which offset 

production declines from conventional reservoirs. The 

decline in natural gas production in 2020 was largely 

driven by producers facing mounting debt that was 

aggravated by lower crude oil prices and the economic 

impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crude oil and 

natural gas drilling rigs decreased as much as 68% in 

2020, from an average of 790 rigs in February to an 

average of 250 rigs in August. The rig count began to 

recover throughout the last quarter of 2020, and 

averaged approximately 340 rigs in December 2020, a 36% increase from their lowest point. The most 

pronounced decrease in natural gas production was seen in conventional wells, as production fell by 2.7 Bcfd, 

roughly 12%, year-over-year. Some shale plays, such as the Marcellus, Permian, and Haynesville plays, saw 

modest increases in production in 2020, but these were much smaller increases as compared to previous years’ 

growth. 

The Permian Basin experienced the largest annual increase among all unconventional resource plays, 

increasing 13%, or 1.3 Bcfd, year-over-year to an average of 11.5 Bcfd. However, this is half the 2.8 Bcfd 

year-over-year increase the Permian Basin experienced in 2019. Producers in the Permian Basin often drill 

for crude oil that has considerable associated natural gas yields. Despite Permian Basin crude oil production 

27 These numbers include forecasted December 2020 data.

Fig. 18 U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production

Source: Energy Information Administration
17

declining by 13% over the year as oil prices fell, Permian Basin natural gas production continued to show the 

most growth of all U.S. basins. Some of this was due to producers devoting rigs to older wells with higher 

natural gas-to-oil ratios than newer wells. In addition, producers that were drilling new wells for crude oil 

found ways to optimize associated natural gas production by targeting the right locations and adjusting drilling 

and completion methods.

Natural gas production in the Marcellus shale increased by a modest 1.3 Bcfd, or 5.8%, year-over-year while 

the Utica shale, also in the Appalachian region, fell by 0.3 Bcfd, a 4% decrease. Production from the 

Haynesville shale in northwest Louisiana and east Texas grew by 0.3 Bcfd in 2020, a 3% increase. This is a 

major trend reversal from 2019 when the Haynesville shale saw production increase by 1.94 Bcfd, or 28%, 

year-over-year, to average 8.8 Bcfd. Production from other, smaller U.S. shale plays fell by 1.7 Bcfd, or 8%, 

in 2020 after increasing by 1.4 Bcfd year-over-year in 2019. 

International Trade and LNG

The United States averaged 7.5 Bcfd of net natural 

gas exports in 2020, a 43% increase from 5.2 Bcfd of 

net exports in 2019.28 The U.S. first became a net 

exporter of natural gas in 2017, and its net export 

balance continued to grow through 2020. LNG 

exports were the largest contributor to both the U.S. 

net natural gas export balance and net natural gas 

export growth, increasing 1.6 Bcfd, or 32%, from 5.0 

Bcfd in 2019 to average 6.6 Bcfd in 2020. The 

increase in LNG exports was driven by increased 

LNG export capacity, which grew from 8.9 Bcfd in 

January 2020 to 10.5 Bcfd by December 2020 with 

additions at the Elba Island LNG terminal in 

Georgia, Cameron LNG terminal in Louisiana, and 

Freeport LNG terminal in Texas. Despite the 

average annual increase in LNG exports, U.S. LNG 

export volumes varied significantly over 2020 for the 

first time since the U.S. began large-volume LNG exports in 2016. LNG exports averaged 8.1 Bcfd in January 

2020 before decreasing over the summer to as low as 3.1 Bcfd in July. Demand increased again in the fall and

into winter as December 2020 saw new highs in both average monthly LNG exports of 10.3 Bcfd and daily 

feedgas deliveries of 11.6 Bcf on December 13, as reported by S&P Global Platts. Much of the seasonal 

variability in 2020 was due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and low international LNG prices, in 

addition to periodic disruptions due to Gulf Coast hurricanes. Prompt month prices in Asia, as measured by 

the S&P Global Platts’s Japan/Korea Marker, decreased to as low as $1.83/MMBtu on April 28, 2020, 

resulting in uneconomic export conditions at times over the summer. In response, U.S. LNG exporters 

28 These numbers include forecasted December 2020 data.

Fig. 19 Natural Gas Imports and Exports

Source: Energy Information Administration
18

canceled roughly 130 cargos between April and August,29 decreasing LNG facility utilization to 48% over the 

same period. LNG terminal utilization rates hit their lowest point in August when utilization averaged less 

than 33% over the month. The low summer utilization was a significant shift for the U.S. LNG export market 

which had an average utilization rate of 93% in 2019. Tight market conditions in Asia and Europe led to the 

year-end increase in exports. Colder than usual weather at major international LNG destinations and 

unplanned outages at LNG export facilities in Australia, Malaysia, Qatar, Norway, Nigeria, and Trinidad and 

Tobago in the second half of 2020 helped to raise global LNG prices and incentivize increased U.S. LNG 

exports.

In total, the U.S. exported LNG to 37 different countries through in 2020 for a combined volume of 2.4

trillion cubic feet (Tcf). South Korea was the largest volumetric recipient of U.S. LNG cargoes, taking in a 

total volume of 316.2 Bcf. Japan, China, Spain, and the United Kingdom were also leading destinations, 

collectively taking in 49% of all U.S. LNG export volumes. Notably, China became the third largest LNG 

export destination for U.S. cargos in 2020, with a total of 214.4 Bcf, due to easing trade tensions after only 

taking in 6.9 Bcf in 2019.

Cross pipeline exports of natural gas grew as well in 2020, driven by a 0.3 Bcfd increase in exports to Mexico. 

Natural gas pipeline exports heading to Mexico averaged 5.4 Bcfd while pipeline exports to Canada decreased 

by 0.2 Bcfd to average 2.4 Bcfd in 2020. Canadian natural gas exports are generally regional transfers in the 

Midwest and Northeast that often net larger imports into the U.S. from Canada. The U.S. had a net import 

balance of 4.3 Bcfd with Canada through November 2020, which is down from 4.8 Bcfd in 2019 over the 

same time period. 

Despite the growth in natural gas exports, imports remain a vital part of the U.S. supply mix, especially during 

winter. Imports from Canada make up most of the natural gas coming into the U.S., contributing 6.8 Bcfd 

of the 6.9 Bcfd of total average daily pipeline imports in 2020. Pipeline imports decreased 7%, or 0.5 Bcfd, 

in 2020 compared to 2019. LNG also plays a meaningful role in supplying New England during winter 

months, though LNG import volumes into the U.S. only averaged 0.15 Bcfd. Because constrained pipelines 

may be unable to fully meet market demand on peak winter days, New England accesses additional supply 

from the Everett LNG import terminal near Boston, as well as the offshore Northeast Gateway and from the 

Canaport terminal in eastern Canada.

29 S&P Global Platts, August Cargo Cancellations at US LNG Terminals Push Summer Total Over 100 (June 22, 

2020), https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/062220-august-cargocancellations-at-us-lng-terminals-push-summer-total-over-100#article0
19

Natural Gas Demand 

Total natural gas demand in the United States in 

2020 averaged 90.8 Bcfd, which is less than 1% 

higher than 2019 total demand.30 However, total 

domestic natural gas consumption, which excludes 

net exports, declined 2% from the prior year, 

averaging 83.3 Bcfd. This is only the second time 

since 2009 that domestic consumption has fallen 

year-over-year. A decline in Residential and 

Commercial natural gas demand comprised most of 

this total decline in domestic consumption, as it fell 

2.1 Bcfd or 9%. The mild winter of 2019-2020 and 

falling commercial demand due to the COVID-19 

pandemic are the two primary causes of this decline. 

Supported by economic growth and lower natural 

gas prices, natural gas demand by industrial 

customers grew 25% over the last decade, from 18.7 

Bcfd in 2010 to 23 Bcfd in 2019. However, in 2020 

COVID-19 pandemic-related economic disruptions depressed deliveries to industrial consumers, and demand 

fell to 22.6 Bcfd, which is 2% lower than in 2019. This is the first year-over-year decline in industrial demand 

since 2015 and only the second since 2009. Natural gas consumption declined from the refining, ethanol, and 

primary metals sectors, three of the largest industrial consumers of natural gas.

Offsetting part of those declines was a 3%, or 0.9 

Bcfd, increase in natural gas demand for electrical 

generation, which rose to an average of 31.8 Bcfd. 

Natural gas demand for electrical generation, also 

known as power burn, varies considerably 

throughout the year and usually peaks in the summer 

as electrical demand increases. Low-cost natural gas 

supplies have supported substantial growth in power 

burn over the past decade, and 2019 had the highest 

natural gas power burn on record. It is notable that 

2020 built even further on that natural gas power 

burn record high, despite the COVID-19 pandemic 

decreasing overall electricity demand. Low natural 

gas prices for much of the year supported continued 

demand for natural gas-fired generation, which at 

times displaced higher cost energy sources.

 

30 These numbers include forecasted December 2020 data.

Fig. 20 Annual Natural Gas Demand by Sector

Source: Energy Information Administration

Fig. 21 Monthly Natural Gas Power Burn

Source: Energy Information Administration
20

Natural Gas Storage 

Despite reduced natural gas production in 2020, 

natural gas storage inventories remained above the 

five-year average, and entered the winter withdrawal 

season at the highest level since 2016. Natural gas 

storage helps balance variations in supply and 

demand and is injected into underground storage 

facilities over the course of the spring, summer, and 

fall so that it can be withdrawn to meet peak winter 

demand. Because of a record inventory build in 

2019 and mild weather in most of the country during 

the winter of 2019-2020, inventories entered March, 

the traditional beginning of the injection season, at 

1,986 Bcf, which is 208 Bcf above the five- year 

average. Through the April-October injection 

season, market participants stored 1,972 Bcf of 

natural gas, resulting in peak storage levels in 

November of 3,958 Bcf, 203 Bcf above the five-year 

average. 

Conclusion

In summary, 2020 was a unique and at times challenging year for energy markets. In the spring, the COVID19 pandemic reduced average electricity demand by 4% to 10% in Commission-jurisdictional ISOs. Severe

weather events tested the reliability of the grid and led to load shedding. Overall the grid was reliable and the 

United States energy sector sought new opportunities to improve performance of the energy markets. Low 

demand, low natural gas prices, and milder winter weather contributed to some of the lowest electricity prices 

in recorded history. Changes in installed capacity continued a recent trend of more renewables and natural 

gas with less coal and nuclear. Capacity markets in eastern ISOs generally procured enough capacity for 

reliability purposes across the ISO, even if localized tight conditions persist in some regions as shown by high 

local capacity market prices. In the West, the existing Western Energy Imbalance Market expanded, and a 

new Western Energy Imbalance Service, administered by SPP, received approval from the Commission for 

operations in 2021. The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the natural gas markets, 

both indirectly through crude oil price fluctuations and directly through sector demand shifts. Average natural 

gas prices were among the lowest on record, and supply remained robust enough to support continued growth 

in power burn and LNG exports as well as a large build in natural gas storage inventories. Staff continues to 

monitor and assess these and other issues in wholesale energy markets. 

Fig. 22 U.S. Natural Gas Storage Inventories

Source: Energy Information Administration