•今年10月，美国原油价格曾触及每桶86.40美元的高位
•天然气价格今年也出现上涨，但与欧洲价格趋势相比，美国基准价格的涨幅微不足道
•如果当前趋势继续下去，2022年能源价格可能会更高
据油价网2021年12月27日消息，今年10月，美国原油价格曾触及每桶86.40美元的高点。导致这一峰值的趋势也推高了所有其他能源的价格，这被证明是化石燃料和通货膨胀真正疯狂的一年。
西得克萨斯中质原油今年开局温和，略高于每桶50美元。在经历了毁灭性的 2020 年之后，原油价格在 2020 年第三季度才刚刚开始复苏，当时封锁和旅行限制对石油需求造成了严重破坏，这促使人们预测油价永远不会恢复到疫情前的水平。
这些预测可能在价格开始回升时造成了一些冲击:复苏速度快于预期，随着封锁结束和大规模疫苗接种期间旅行恢复，复苏也比预期强劲得多。
当然，原油价格也引发了汽油价格的上涨，以至于美国为了降低美国司机的汽油价格，不得不恳求欧佩克增加石油产量。
恳求并没有对石油卡特尔欧佩克产生影响，尽管它确实对美国石油行业产生了影响。美国石油行业的立场更加坚定，当美国政府最终在汽油价格问题上寻求它的帮助时，它拒绝与美国政府合作。
美国加州11月汽油价格创下纪录，11月15日该州汽油均价为每加仑4.68美元。在美国，平均汽油价格达到了每加仑3.40美元的峰值。自去年11月以来，随着新冠病毒的最新变种奥密克戎在全球蔓延，人们对限制措施的担忧再次加剧，价格已有所回落。
美国计划从战略石油储备(SPR)中释放原油，这也在汽油价格波动中发挥了作用，尽管这是一个有限的波动。专家们很快指出，SPR释放的原油不属于墨西哥湾沿岸炼油厂配置的原油等级，因此它不能直接促进汽油产量的提高。
随着石油和天然气价格的上涨，今年美国基准价格的上涨与欧洲天然气价格趋势相比微不足道。在欧洲，由于库存水平较低、需求增加和市场投机，天然气价格一直在打破纪录。
在美国，由于国内产量充足，天然气价格的上涨幅度要小得多。美国能源情报署(EIA)的数据显示，LNG出口也已升至创纪录高位，预计美国明年将成为全球最大的LNG出口国。这种繁荣将在很大程度上得益于亚洲买家的长期承诺。
现在，到年底时，石油和天然气价格都低于2021年早些时候达到的峰值，但仍高于年初的水平。由于需求复苏，原油价格涨幅远高于天然气，这也是推动通胀达到近40年来最高水平的因素之一。
起初，美联储认为通胀趋势是暂时的，但后来，当通胀趋势明显没有放缓时，美联储改变了策略，宣布将以比最初计划更快的速度开始缩减财政刺激计划。
这可能意味着石油和天然气价格在2022年将面临进一步的上行压力，特别是如果当前的化石燃料需求趋势持续到新的一年，这比突然变化更有可能，即使奥密克戎的传播速度比以前的变体更快。
裘寅 编译自 油价网
原文如下：
What’s In Store For Energy Prices In 2022?
U.S. crude oil prices hit a high of $86.40 per barrel in October this year
Natural gas prices also rose this year, although the rise in U.S. benchmark prices was minuscule in comparison with European price trends
2022 could see higher energy prices if current trends continue
U.S. crude oil prices hit a high of $86.40 per barrel in October this year. The trends that led to this peak also lifted all other energy prices in what turned out to be a truly wild year for fossil fuels. And for inflation.
West Texas Intermediate started the year modestly, at a little over $50 per barrel. Crude oil prices had just begun to recover in the third quarter of 2020 after a devastating 2020 when lockdowns and travel restrictions wrought havoc on oil demand, prompting forecasts that it would never recover to pre-pandemic levels.
These forecasts may have contributed to some shock when prices began to recover: the recovery was faster than expected and also much stronger than expected as lockdowns ended and travel resumed amid mass vaccinations.
Naturally, crude oil prices also caused a jump in gasoline prices, to such an extent that President Joe Biden was forced to plead with OPEC to increase oil production in order to lower prices at the pump for American drivers.
Pleading did not have an effect on the oil cartel, although it did have an effect on the U.S. oil industry, which dug its heels even deeper and refused to cooperate with the administration when it finally approached it for help in the gasoline prices effort.
U.S. gasoline prices hit a record in California in November, when the average for the state on November 15 stood at $4.68 per gallon. Across the states, the average gasoline price peaked at over $3.40 per gallon. Since November, prices have mellowed amid renewed concern about restrictions as the latest variant of the coronavirus, omicron, spreads across the world.
A plan by the Administration to release crude oil from the strategic petroleum reserve also played a part in gasoline price movements even though it was a limited one. Experts were quick to note that the crude released from the SPR is not of the grades that Gulf Coast refineries are configured for, so it could not directly contribute to a boost in gasoline production.
In tune with oil natural gas prices also rose this year, although the rise in United States benchmark prices was minuscule in comparison with European price trends in natural gas. In Europe, prices have been breaking records on low inventory levels, higher demand and market speculation.
In the United States, gas prices have risen a lot more modestly thanks to ample domestic production. Exports have also risen to record highs with the U.S. projected to become the world’s largest LNG exporter next year, according to the Energy Information Administration. The boom will come in large part thanks to long-term commitments from the buyers after years of reluctance to commit to U.S. supplies.
Now, at the end of the year, both oil and gas are off their peaks reached earlier in 2021 but still higher than where they started the year. In crude oil, the increase was a lot more marked than it was for gas thanks to resurgent demand and it was one of the drivers of inflation that reached the highest in close to 40 years.
The inflation trend was first brushed off as transitory by the Fed but later, when it became clear it was not softening, the Fed changed tack and announced it would begin tapering its fiscal stimulus program faster than initially planned.
What this could mean for oil and gas prices is further upside pressure in 2022, especially if current trends in demand for fossil fuels continue into the new year, which is quite more likely than a sudden change, even with omicron spreading faster than previous variants.
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