Author: WeWorldMedia-admin

Spark and dark spreads indicate improved profitability of natural gas, coal power plants

Published: 8 December 2025
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

December 8, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on data from S&P Global Market Intelligence
Data note: The specifics of the calculation methodology are detailed in a previous article with minor adjustments to heat rates used. The heat rate used for the dark spread was 10,500 British thermal units per kilowatthour (Btu/kWh), while the heat rate for the spark spread was 7,000 Btu/kWh.

Higher average daily wholesale electricity prices between January and November 2025 may be improving the operational competitiveness of some natural gas- and coal-fired generators in the PJM Interconnection compared with the same period in 2024. PJM is the largest wholesale electricity market in the United States. The spark and dark spreads, common metrics for estimating the profitability of natural gas- and coal-fired electric generators, have both increased over the past

Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.

Small magnitude 2.9 earthquake 3 miles southeast of San Ramon, California, United States

Published: 8 December 2025
Categories: Global Earthquake Activity

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

Monday, Dec 8, 2025 13:58 | 22 mins ago | By: EarthquakeMonitor

The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 2.9 quake in the United States near San Ramon, Contra Costa County, California, 36 minutes ago. The earthquake hit early morning on Monday, December 8th, 2025, at 5:21 am local time at a very shallow depth of 5.3 miles. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data.
A second report was later issued by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), which listed it as a magnitude 2.9 earthquake as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 2.7.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include San Ramon (pop. 76,100) located 3 miles from the epicenter, Dublin (pop. 57,700) 4 miles away, Danville (pop. 44,400) 6 miles away, Pleasanton (pop. 79,500) 7 miles away, Castro Valley (pop. 61,400) 9 miles away, Hayward (pop. 158,300) 10 miles away, and Livermore (pop. 88,100) 11 miles away. In San Francisco (pop. 827,500, 26 miles away), and San Jose (pop. 997,400, 29 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.

If you felt it, report it through our site or app right now!

Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes &

Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.

Aoba Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: ERUPTION AT 20251207/0350Z ERUPTION HAS CEASED. to 13000 ft (4000 m)

Published: 8 December 2025
Categories: Global Volcano Activity

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

Support Us – Help Us Enhance Our Services! We’re passionate about delivering the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the globe — just for you. However, maintaining our website and free apps requires significant time, effort, and resources.
Your support helps us expand our hardware and software capabilities and empowers our dedicated editorial team. Our mission is to provide uninterrupted, real-time updates whenever an earthquake strikes or a volcano erupts — and your donations make this possible. Every contribution, big or small, is deeply appreciated. If you find our information valuable and want to help us add new features, create compelling content, and improve our technology, please consider making a donation: Donate with PayPal: Planned Features: Improved multilingual support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Thanks to your past donations, we have recently added: Design upgrades Detailed earthquake

Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.