U.S. power use to reach record high in 2022 as economy grows -EIA

The power line comes from the Coal Intermountain Power Project, which will close in 2025, outside Delta, Utah, US, on June 1, 2017. REUTERS / George Frey

July 12 (Reuters) – Energy consumption in the US was expected to rise until 2022 and 2023 as the economy grows, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO) on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s accounting capacity is expected to increase to 4,022 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2022 and 4,045 billion kWh in 2023 from 3,930 billion kWh in 2021.

This compares with an eight-year low of 3,856 billion kWh in 2020, while the coronavirus epidemic reduced demand, and a regular increase of 4,003 billion in 2018.

The EIA estimates that 2022 electricity sales will rise to 1,486 billion for residential consumers, 1,367 billion for commercial customers as more people return to work in offices and 1,026 billion kWh for industry.

This compares with the constant increase of 1,477 billion kWh in 2021 for resident consumers, 1,382 billion kWh in 2018 for commercial customers and 1,064 billion kWh in 2000 for industry.

The EIA estimates that the share of natural gas will be 37% in 2022, the same as in 2021, before falling to 36% in 2023. The share of coal will fall from 23% in 2021 to 21% in 2022 and 20% in 2023. .

Percentage of renewable energy will increase from 20% in 2021 to 22% in 2022 and 24% in 2023. Nuclear power will fall from 20% in 2021 to 19% in 2022 and 2023.

The commission estimates that sales of natural gas in 2022 will increase to 13.46 billion per day (bcfd) for residential consumers, 9.12 bcfd for commercial customers, 23.20 bcfd for industry and 31.85 bcfd for electricity.

This compares with the regular rise of 14.32 bcfd in 1996 for residential consumers, 9.63 bcfd in 2019 for commercial customers, 23.80 bcfd in 1973 for industry and 31.75 bcfd in 2020 for electricity generation.

Scott DiSavino Reports; Edited by Marguerita Choy

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