Alaskan Energy Use
Alaska pumps into the ground more than twice as much energy as it uses each year.
That, to me, is just one of the surprising facts contained in the new State of Alaska Long Term Energy Plan, now prepared in draft form by the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development. In 1979, Alaska consumed just over two-tenths of a quad of energy, and it re-injected into the ground just over half a quad of natural gas to keep the pressure high in the Prudhoe and Cook Inlet oil wells.
The term 'quad' is a shorthand name for a unit used to measure energy. It is a term used only in the big leagues; but when it comes to energy production, Alaska definitely has arrived. One quad is one quadrillion (1015) British Thermal Units (B.T.U.s). One quad is the amount of energy contained in a flow of 476,000 barrels of oil each day for one year. By means of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, Alaska exported, in 1979, 2.96 quads of energy. That is about eighteen times as much energy as was used that year in the state.
Another surprise is that 25% of the Alaskan end-use demand for energy is due to one refinery on the Kenai Peninsula which makes ammonia and urea from natural gas produced in the Cook Inlet area. Even discounting the energy consumed in that plant, Alaskans have significantly higher per capita energy consumption than do other Americans. Alaskans use almost three times as much energy per capita for transportation and marine use. That such high use exists is reasonable, considering the large distances to travel in the state and the great extent of the Alaskan coastline and the fishing and other activities that transpire along it.
Nevertheless, Alaska's main energy demand is in the Railbelt area, extending from Anchorage to Fairbanks. With 71% of the Alaskan population this area accounts for 86% of the energy consumed in the state.
Fifty-seven percent of the energy consumed by Alaskans comes in the form of petroleum products. Yet despite being a petroleum exporter, Alaska still imports 43% of the petroleum products it uses. The next most important energy source for Alaskans is natural gas. It satisfies 35% of the energy demand. Solid fuel--coal and wood--supply 2.3% of the energy demand for the state. Electrical demand, amounting to 5.9% of total energy used in the state, is supplied by a combination of hydro, coal, wood, petroleum and natural gas.
One of the things that is easy to forget is the loss of energy that occurs in the process of delivering energy in usable form to the end user. Losses associated with refining, conversion processes such as electrical generation and with delivery to the user in Alaska burn up another one-tenth of a quad. So for every two B.T.U.'s that an Alaskan uses, roughly one additional B.T.U. is lost in conversion and delivery.
One fact that comes clear from the draft of the Alaska Long Term Energy Plan is that Alaskans are nearly totally dependent upon petroleum and natural gas for their energy needs. Coal, wood, hydro and other alternative sources account for only a small fraction of the total energy consumed. Once the petroleum and gas run out, Alaska will be in serious trouble unless alternatives are developed
