Natural Gas Gains in Industrial Power Generation
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that last year industrial onsite generating capacity rose to 142 million MW of electricity, of which 58% was from natural gas, up from 51% in 2000.
EIA said onsite generation is used when some or all of an industrial plant’s electricity needs can be provided more economically onsite than by purchasing power from the electric grid.
“While many commercial and industrial facilities purchase electricity from the grid, some install their own equipment to generate electricity at their facility. Onsite generation includes both generation-only facilities and combined heat and power facilities,” it explained.
The agency said not only does natural gas constitute an increasing share of fuel used in industrial generation, it also has been the only fuel consistently increasing its share of generation in the industrial sector since 2000.
For more information: www.eia.gov
