U.S. fossil fuel consumption fell to the lowest level in nearly 30 years as demand for petroleum products such as gasoline and jet fuel tumbled during the pandemic, according to a new report from the Energy Department.
The nation’s use of oil, natural gas and coal fell to 72.9 quadrillion British thermal units last year, down 9 percent from the previous year. That’s the lowest level since 1991 and the largest annual decrease in both absolute and percentage terms since 1949, the Energy Department said.
“Economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including a 15 percent decrease in energy consumption in the U.S. transportation sector, drove much of the decline,” the Energy Department said Tuesday. “The United States also had relatively warmer weather in 2020, which reduced demand for heating fuels.”
PANDEMIC: Why natural gas demand fell only slightly despite pandemic
Petroleum consumption fell 13 percent last year as travel restrictions and remote work kept millions of Americans home. The transportation sector accounted for about 68 percent of the nation’s consumption of petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel.
Natural gas consumption fell 2 percent last year as its growing use in the electric power sector offset declines in other sectors due to the pandemic. A little more than a third of the nation’s natural gas consumption was used to generate electricity and heat in 2020.
Coal consumption fell 19 percent last year, the largest annual decrease on record, as natural gas power plants and solar and wind farms continue to replace coal power plants. Coal accounted for 13 percent of U.S. fossil fuel consumption in 2020, the lowest annual share since 1949.
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July 06, 2021 at 09:10PM
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U.S. fossil fuel consumption in 2020 fell to 30-year low - Houston Chronicle
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