Pennsylvania is the Top Exporter of Electricity in the U.S.
A recent report by the PA Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) showed net electricity generated from natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar and other sources in Pennsylvania surpassed all other states in net exports.
March 17, 2022
While Texas is the highest annual producer of energy (PA is the second highest), Pennsylvania was the highest net exporter of electricity in 2021 with 85.5 million megawatt hours exported – approximately 35% of the electricity it generated.
In the northeastern US, only three states are net exporters of electricity – Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Connecticut.
Pennsylvania was also one of only two states in the region to see its residential electricity costs decline over the last 5 years (the other was Maryland). During that time span, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts have all increased the gap in residential electricity costs to Pennsylvania. Massachusetts, for example, increased from 27% to 40% higher than Pennsylvania over the last 5 years.
Pennsylvania carbon emissions decrease 41.4% per unit in the power sector from 2007 to 2021.
Between 2007 and 2021, northeastern states reduced carbon emissions by an average of 32.2% per unit. Pennsylvania's carbon emissions decrease by 41.4% during that time despite power generation increasing by 6.9%. The report stated, "This outcome is due to the significant shift from coal to natural gas in the state's energy mix over that period."
View the IFO report here.