Texas
Energy

Ever since the discovery of oil at Spindletop, energy has been a dominant force politically and economically within the state. If Texas were its own country it would be the sixth-largest oil producer in the world according to a 2014 study.

The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates the state's oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining. Until the 1970s, the commission controlled the price of petroleum because of its ability to regulate Texas's oil reserves. The founders of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) used the Texas agency as one of their models for petroleum price control.

As of January 1, 2021, Texas has proved recoverable petroleum reserves of about 15.6 billion barrels (2.48 × 10 m) of crude oil (44% of the known U.S. reserves) and 9.5 billion barrels (1.51 × 10 m) of natural gas liquids. The state's refineries can process 5.95 million barrels (946,000 m) of oil a day. The Port Arthur Refinery in Southeast Texas is the largest refinery in the U.S. Texas is also a leader in natural gas production at 28.8 billion cubic feet (820,000,000 m) per day, some 32% of the nation's production. Texas has 102.4 trillion cubic feet (2.90 × 10 m) of gas reserves which is 23% of the nation's gas reserves. Many petroleum companies are based in Texas such as: ConocoPhillips, EOG Resources, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Hilcorp, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum, Valero Energy, and Western Refining.

According to the Energy Information Administration, Texans consume, on average, the fifth most energy (of all types) in the nation per capita and as a whole, following behind Wyoming, Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Iowa.

Unlike the rest of the nation, most of Texas is on its own alternating current power grid, the Texas Interconnection. Texas has a deregulated electric service. Texas leads the nation in total net electricity production, generating 437,236 MWh in 2014, 89% more MWh than Florida, which ranked second.

The state is a leader in renewable energy commercialization; it produces the most wind power in the nation. In 2014, 10.6% of the electricity consumed in Texas came from wind turbines. The Roscoe Wind Farm in Roscoe, Texas, is one of the world's largest wind farms with a 781.5 megawatt (MW) capacity. The Energy Information Administration states the state's large agriculture and forestry industries could give Texas an enormous amount of biomass for use in biofuels. The state also has the highest solar power potential for development in the U.S.
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