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 S&P Global Platts 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 […]