West Virginia
- Population: 1.8 million (U.S. rank: 37)
- GDP: $55.7 billion (U.S. rank: 41)
- Capital: Charleston
Energy Consumption
- West Virginia’s total energy consumption is less than one percent of total U.S. consumption and equals 440 mil Btu per capita (U.S. rank: 10).
- The industrial sector is the leading energy consumer in the state, and per capita energy use ranks among the highest in the nation.
- West Virginia is one of the few states that allow the use of conventional motor gasoline.
Petroleum
- West Virginia’s crude oil production is minimal and derived mainly from stripper wells.
- West Virginia has one refinery located in the far north of the state that processes most of the crude oil produced in the state and the Appalachian Basin.
Natural Gas
- West Virginia’s natural gas production is limited but its underground storage capacity represents approximately 6% of the U.S. total.
- West Virginia is considered an important natural gas supplier to the Northeastern states during the winter when demand peaks.
- The industrial sector is the state’s leading natural gas consumer and accounts for nearly one-third of the state’s natural gas consumption.
- Approximately one-half of the state’s households use natural gas for their home heating needs.
Coal
- West Virginia is the largest coal producer east of the Mississippi River and accounts for more than one-tenth of total coal production in the U.S. delivering to more than 25 states across the country.
- The state leads the U.S. in coal production from underground mines, which represents almost two-thirds of state production.
- West Virginia has the second largest recoverable coal reserves at producing mines in the U.S. after Wyoming.
- Nearly all of the electricity generated in the state comes from coal-fired plants.
Nuclear
- West Virginia has no nuclear power plants.
Renewable Energy
- West Virginia has several small hydroelectric power plants to meet the electricity demand left unfulfilled by the state’s coal power production.