Infrastructure

Batteries are a fast-growing secondary electricity source for the grid

Published: 5 September 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

September 5, 2024

Utility-scale battery energy storage systems have been growing quickly as a source of electric power capacity in the United States in recent years. In the first seven months of 2024, operators added 5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to the U.S. electric power grid, according to data in our July 2024 electric generator inventory. In 2010, only 4 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale battery energy storage was added in the United States. In July 2024, more than 20.7 GW of battery energy storage capacity was available in the United States. Battery energy storage systems provide electricity to the power grid and offer a range of services to support electric power grids. Among these services are balancing supply and demand, moving electricity from periods of low prices to periods of high prices (a strategy known as

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Russian Military Cyber Actors Target US and Global Critical Infrastructure

Published: 4 September 2024
Categories: US-Computer Emergency Readiness Team

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

Summary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and National Security Agency (NSA) assess that cyber actors affiliated with the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) 161st Specialist Training Center (Unit 29155) are responsible for computer network operations against global targets for the purposes of espionage, sabotage, and reputational harm since at least 2020. GRU Unit 29155 cyber actors began deploying the destructive WhisperGate malware against multiple Ukrainian victim organizations as early as January 13, 2022. These cyber actors are separate from other known and more established GRU-affiliated cyber groups, such as Unit 26165 and Unit 74455.

To mitigate this malicious cyber activity, organizations should take the following actions today:

Prioritize routine system updates and remediate known exploited vulnerabilities. Segment networks to prevent the spread of malicious activity. Enable phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) for all externally facing account services, especially for webmail, virtual private networks (VPNs), and accounts that access critical systems.

This Cybersecurity Advisory provides tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with Unit 29155 cyber actors—both during and succeeding their deployment of WhisperGate against Ukraine—as well as further analysis (see Appendix A) of the WhisperGate malware initially published in the joint advisory, Destructive Malware Targeting Organizations in Ukraine, published February 26, 2022.

FBI, CISA, NSA and the following partners are releasing this joint advisory as

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U.S. thermal coal exports to Asia and Africa surge as shipments to Europe fall

Published: 4 September 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

September 4, 2024

U.S. exports of thermal coal to Asia and Africa surged in the first half of 2024, helping to drive overall U.S. coal exports (thermal and metallurgical) to 53 million short tons (MMst) from 49 MMst in the first half of 2023.

Exports of thermal coal from the United States to Asia increased by 19% (2.3 MMst) in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. The increase was driven mainly by greater deliveries to India and China. India accounted for 57% of these exports to Asia in 2023 and continued to receive large amounts of U.S. thermal coal in the first half of 2024, led by industrial customers in the brickmaking sector. Chinese power companies accounted for most of the rest of the increase.

Thermal coal is generally

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North America’s LNG export capacity is on track to more than double by 2028

Published: 3 September 2024
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

September 3, 2024

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Liquefaction Capacity File, and trade press
Note: Export capacity shown is project’s baseload capacity. Online dates of LNG export projects under construction are estimates based on trade press. LNG=liquefied natural gas; FLNG=floating liquefied natural gas

North America’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity is on track to more than double between 2024 and 2028, from 11.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2023 to 24.4 Bcf/d in 2028, if projects currently under construction begin operations as planned. During this time, we expect developers in Mexico and Canada to place their first LNG export terminals into service and in the United States to add to existing LNG capacity. By the end of 2028, we estimate LNG export capacity will grow by 0.8 Bcf/d in Mexico, 2.5

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