US energy consumption in 2011 totaled 97.3 quadrillion btu (quads), declining from 97.7 quads a year earlier, according to estimates in the US Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Review 2011.
Energy demand declined among residential, transportation, and electric power users, but commercial and industrial users consumed more energy during 2011 than 2010.
Renewable energy consumption increased by 13%, and natural gas consumption increased by 2%. Coal consumption decreased by 6%, while oil and nuclear electric power consumption each decreased by 2%, EIA’s estimates show.
The volume of motor gasoline demand supplied declined by 3% to average 8.7 million b/d last year, while distillate fuel oil supplied climbed to 3.85 million b/d from 3.8 million b/d.
Production
Preliminary estimates indicate that total US energy production reached a record high of 78 quads—up from 74.8 quads a year earlier—as renewable energy production also reached a record high of 9 quads, EIA reported. Fossil fuel production grew to 60.6 quads from a 2010 total of 58.2 quads.
From 2010 to 2011, dry natural gas production in the US increased by 8% to 23 tcf, as marketed gas production climbed to 24.17 tcf from 22.4 tcf a year earlier.
EIA’s figures show that crude oil production last year increased by 3% to 5.66 million b/d, even as production in Alaska is estimated to have dropped to 572,000 b/d from a 2010 average of 601,000 b/d.
US offshore crude oil production is estimated to have decreased by 14% to average 1.484 million b/d, and NGL production is estimated to have climbed to 2.183 million b/d last year from 2.074 million b/d a year earlier.
Coal production increased by 1%, while nuclear power generation declined by 2% from a year earlier, according to EIA estimates.
