US energy production exceeds consumption for first time since 1957

Last year, U.S. energy production overtook consumption for the first time in 62 years due to a mix of production growth and moderate consumption decrease.

In all, the United States produced 101 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of energy, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), while consuming 100.2 quads in 2019. From record highs in 2018, production grew still further, by 5.7 percent, while consumption fell by 0.9 percent.

This marks a high point for production, which has been growing for a decade across the board, thanks largely to increased crude oil and natural gas production from hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Crude oil and natural gas plant liquids production reached a record 31.8 quads last year, while natural gas production hit 34.9 quads. Renewable energy and nuclear energy have also been constants, though while renewables grew about 0.1 quad between 2018 and 2019, nuclear production has held at nearly 8 quads for 20 years.

Coal production fell for the third year in a row, by another 1.1 quads. It is now at its lowest point since 1974.

In contrast, consumption has been fairly steady, ranging between 96 quads and 102 quads for the past two decades. Though fallen from its peak rates, petroleum makes up the bulk of this consumption. Since 2008, coal consumption has plummeted by nearly 50 percent as the energy source is increasingly replaced by natural gas and renewable options.

Consumption and production tend to parallel one another in the United States, though, and over the years, their highs and lows have tended to find shared berths. According to the EIA, petroleum’s share in consumption has decreased from 43 percent to 37 percent since 1957, while natural gas has grown to 32 percent, coal has plunged from 26 percent to 11 percent, and nuclear energy and renewables have reached larger shares respectively. Renewable energy consumption was nearly the same as coal in 2019.