Section 9. Energy prices - Statistical Data Included

Monthly Energy Review,  July, 2002  

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Crude Oil. The average price of domestic crude oil at the wellhead was $22.09 per barrel in April 2002, 6 percent below the level of April 2001. The refiner acquisition cost of imported crude oil in April 2002 was $24.58 per barrel, 7 percent above the April 2001 level. The average cost of domestic crude oil in April 2002 was $24.29, 3 percent less than the April 2001 average.

Motor Gasoline. The national city average retail price of unleaded regular gasoline at all types of stations was $1.42 per gallon in May 2002, 18 percent lower than the price in May 2001. The price of unleaded premium gasoline averaged $1.63 in May 2002, 16 percent lower than the price in May 2001.

Residual Fuel Oil. The average price, excluding taxes, of residual fuel oil sold to end users in April 2002 was 56 cents per gallon, 13 percent higher than the previous month's price and 5 percent higher than the April 2001 average. The average resale price, excluding taxes, of residual fuel oil in April 2002 was 51 cents, 17 percent higher than the March 2002 price and 6 percent higher than the price 1 year earlier.

Aviation Fuel. The average price, excluding taxes, of aviation gasoline sold to end users in April 2002 was $1.33 per gallon, 6 percent higher than the previous month's average and slightly higher than the April 2001 average. The average price, excluding taxes, of kerosene-type jet fuel sold to end users in April 2002 was 70 cents per gallon, 9 percent higher than the previous month's average price but 13 percent lower than the April 2001 average price.

No. 2 Distillate Fuel Oil. The April 2002 national average price, excluding taxes, of heating oil sold to residential customers was $1.11 per gallon, 1 percent higher than the March 2002 price but 12 percent lower than the April 2001 price. The average price of No. 2 fuel oil sold to all end users was 72 cents per gallon in April 2002, 3 percent higher than the March 2002 price but 16 percent lower than the price 1 year earlier.

Electricity. The average price of electricity sold by electric utilities to all ultimate consumers in the United States in January 2002 was 6.98 cents per kilowatthour, 2 percent higher than the January 2001 mean price. The price of electricity sold to residential consumers in January 2002 averaged 7.99 cents per kilowatthour, 3 percent higher than the January 2001 price. The price of electricity sold to commercial consumers averaged 7.58 cents per kilowatthour in January 2002, 3 percent higher than the January 2001 price. The price of electricity sold to other consumers was 6.51 cents per kilowatthour, 7 percent higher than the January 2001 price. The price of electricity sold to industrial users in January 2002 averaged 4.81 cents per kilowatthour, 4 percent lower than the price 1 year earlier.

Beginning with January 1986, new series of national average price estimates were based on a statistically derived sample of both publicly and privately owned electric utilities. Previously, average price estimates were derived from selected privately owned electric utilities and were not national averages.

Natural Gas. The average wellhead price of natural gas for March 2002 was estimated as $2.52 per thousand cubic feet, 51 percent lower than the March 2001 price.

The average price of natural gas delivered to electric utility plants was $3.12 per thousand cubic feet in December 2001 (latest date for which data are available), 62 percent lower than the December 2000 price. The average price of natural gas used by residential consumers in March 2002 was $6.96 per thousand cubic feet, 30 percent lower than the March 2001 price. The average price of natural gas used by commercial consumers in March 2002 was $6.28 per thousand cubic feet, 30 percent lower than the March 2001 price. The average price of natural gas used by industrial consumers in March 2002 was $3.36 per thousand cubic feet, 47 percent below the March 2001 price.

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