Country insight – US

Fast facts

At a glance

• Primary energy consumption increased by 5.3%. The largest absolute increase was in oil at 2.8 EJ. Despite the increase in energy use, natural gas consumption stayed roughly flat.
• Energy consumption per capita increased from 2020 but fell over 3% since 2019. The rate of decline over the past decade has been around half the rate of decline seen during the previous decade to 2011.
• Renewables (including hydro) accounted for 11% of primary energy consumption.
• Electricity generation bounced back to levels of 2019, but the fossil fuel share declined 2pp to 61%.
• Gas’s share of the power mix fell to below 40%, while coal’s share increased 3 percentage points to 22%, the second largest increase in coal-fired generation globally.
• Oil production rebounded only slightly in 2021, still 3% below 2019 levels, as producers retained capital discipline.
• US refining capacity has fallen by 1 Mb/d since 2019, with most of the closures taking place in 2020.
• Production of natural gas increased by 2% to over 90 Bcf/d (934 Bcm) as the US remains the world’s largest producer.
• Despite the increase in gas production, gas flaring fell sharply by 22% to around 1 Bcf/d (9.7 Bcm).
• Renewable energy generation grew by 77 TWh in 2021, three times as much as in Europe, but less than a third of the growth seen in China.
• Net LNG exports increased to 9.1 Bcf/d (94 Bcm) in 2021, 50% higher than 2020. US LNG exports now account for 18.4% of global LNG trade, up from 1% just five years ago.
• Net CO₂e emissions from energy, methane, flaring, and industrial processes rose by 6.1% to 5.2 billion tonnes in 2021 but remain 6% lower than 2019 levels.