North Carolina
- Population: 8.1 million (U.S. rank: 10)
- GDP: $374.5 billion (U.S. rank: 11)
- Capital: Raleigh
Energy Consumption
- North Carolina’s total energy consumption in the state equals 318 mil Btu per capita (U.S. rank: 32).
- The transportation (27.5%), industry (26%) and residential (26%) sectors are the state’s leading energy consumers. The commercial sector accounts for 21%.
- North Carolina’s electricity consumption ranks among the highest in the nation.
- Half of all households in the state use electricity as their main energy source for home heating.
Petroleum
- North Carolina acquires all of its petroleum products from other U.S. or from abroad.
- The Colonial and Plantation pipelines from the Gulf Coast supply the state with petroleum products.
- The Dixie Pipeline, a major supplier of propane to the Southeast, ends in North Carolina where a terminal and above ground storage tanks are located.
- Tankers from other states and countries deliver petroleum products to the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City.
Natural Gas
- Several interstate natural gas pipelines supply North Carolina, including the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co. system that originates in the Gulf Coast and passes through the state on its way to major population centers in the Northeast.
- The industrial sector is the state’s leading natural gas consumer. However, consumption from residential and commercial users is also substantial.
- Nearly a quarter of all households use natural gas as their main source of energy for home heating.
Coal
- Coal-fired power plants account for more than three-fifths of the state’s electricity generation.
- North Carolina’s coal-fired power plants burn coal, which has been shipped primarily by rail from West Virginia and Kentucky.
Nuclear
- North Carolina is one of the top nuclear power producers in the U.S., with three nuclear power plants. Nuclear power accounts for about one-third of the state’s electricity generation.
Renewable Energy
- Hydroelectric power also generates some of the state’s electricity.
- Several rivers in western and central North Carolina provide hydroelectric power and are considered the state’s only substantial energy resource.
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