U.S. energy consumption, production and exports all reached record levels in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The United States produced a record amount of energy from various sources in 2018, reaching 96 quadrillion British thermal units — an 8% increase from 2017, EIA said.
The increase in production outpaced the 4% increase in U.S. energy consumption, which also reached a record high of 101 quadrillion Btu.
At the same time, U.S. energy exports increased 18% to a record high of 21 quadrillion Btu in 2018, reducing net energy imports into the United States to a 54-year low, EIA said.
In 2018, crude oil and natural gas accounted for 57% of all U.S. energy production, with crude oil production seeing an increase of 17% and natural gas an increase of 12% from 2017.
Energy production from renewable sources increased 4% from 2017, mostly because of growth in solar (22%), wind (8%) and biomass energy (2%), EIA said.
Nuclear electric power production remained virtually unchanged in 2018. Coal was the only energy production source to decrease in 2018, falling 2% from 2017 levels.
Total U.S. consumption of energy also increased from 2017 levels but at a slower pace than production.
Exports of crude oil and petroleum products made up 68% of all U.S. energy exports in 2018, accounting for most of the increase in total U.S. energy exports from 2017, EIA said.
