Energy Facts by State

Because of many local laws and guidelines, energy production and use is highly dictated by each state government. Below is a state-by-state assessment of energy production and use in the Western US (from the U.S. Energy Information Administration).

Alaska

  • Alaska’s electricity infrastructure differs from that of the lower 48 states in that most consumers are not linked to large interconnected grids through transmission and distribution lines; rural communities in Alaska rely primarily on diesel electric generators for power.
  • Alaska is one of eight states generating electricity from geothermal energy sources.
  • The Kenai liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility is the only existing LNG export terminal in the United States.
  • When Federal offshore areas are excluded, Alaska’s crude oil production of 0.6 million barrels per day ranked second in the nation, after Texas, in 2011.
  • In 2011, Alaska ranked fourth in the United States for the total amount of electricity generated from petroleum liquids.

California

  • Average site electricity consumption in California homes is among the lowest in the nation (6.9 MWh per year), according to EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
  • In 2010, California’s per capita energy consumption ranked lowest in the nation; the state’s low ranking was due in part to its mild climate and energy efficiency programs.
  • Excluding federal offshore areas, California ranked third in the nation in crude oil production in 2011, despite an overall decline in production rates since the mid-1980s.
  • California also ranked third in the nation in 2011 in refining capacity, with a combined capacity of almost two million barrels per day from its 20 operable refineries.
  • In 2011, California ranked first in the nation as a producer of electricity from geothermal energy, third in conventional hydroelectric generation, and first for net electricity generation from other renewable energy resources.

Hawai’i

  • Hawai’i has the world’s largest commercial electricity generator fueled exclusively with biofuels; the state’s energy plan aims for an agricultural biofuels industry that, by 2025, can provide 350 million gallons of biofuels.
  • Thanks to its mild tropical climate, Hawai’i had the second lowest per capita energy use in the nation in 2010. The transportation sector led Hawaiian energy demand in 2010, due in large part to heavy commercial and military aviation fuel use.
  • In 2010, Hawai’i imported 94% of its energy and had the highest electricity prices in the nation.
  • Hawai’i is one of eight states with installed geothermal capacity; in 2011, 25% of its renewable net electricity generation came from geothermal energy.
  • Solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity increased 150% in Hawai’i in 2011, making it 11th in the nation in PV capacity.

Nevada

  • More than 90% of the energy Nevada consumes comes from outside the state.
  • The state’s Energy Portfolio Standard requires that 25% of electricity come from renewable energy resources by 2025; in 2011, 16% of net electricity generation came from geothermal, solar, and hydroelectric power sources.
  • Nevada generated two-thirds (67%) of its electricity from natural gas in 2011.
  • Nevada ranked second in the nation in net electricity generation from both geothermal and solar energy in 2011; approximately 9.1% of Nevada’s net electricity generation came from those two sources.
  • The 640-kilometer (400-mile) UNEV pipeline, opened in 2012, lets petroleum products from Salt Lake City area refineries flow to Las Vegas; previously, Las Vegas obtained petroleum products only from three California pipelines.

Oregon

  • Major transmission lines connect Oregon’s electricity grid to California and Washington, allowing for large interstate electricity transfers.
  • The owners of the Jordan Cove Energy Project at Coos Bay, after getting liquefied natural gas (LNG) import approval, decided to seek approval to become the first West Coast LNG export terminal outside of Alaska.
  • Oregon is one of the nation’s leading generators of hydroelectric power, ranking second in 2011, after Washington, in net electricity generation from conventional hydroelectric power. In 2010 and 2011, Oregon’s abundant hydroelectric power contributed to below-average residential electricity prices in the state.
  • In 2011, 80% of Oregon’s net electricity generation was from conventional hydroelectric power plants and other renewable energy resources.

Washington

  • The Grand Coulee Dam on Washington’s Columbia River is the largest hydroelectric power producer in the United States, with a total generating capacity of 6809 MW.
  • The State of Washington’s Energy Independence Act requires large electric utilities to obtain 15% of their electricity from new renewable energy resources by 2020 and to undertake cost-effective energy conservation.
  • In 2011, Washington was the leading producer of electricity from hydroelectric sources and produced 29% of the nation’s net hydroelectricity generation.
  • Although not a crude oil-producing state, in 2011, Washington ranked sixth in the nation in crude oil refining capacity.
  • Washington ranked sixth in the nation in net generation of electricity from wind energy in 2011.