In 2014, seventy percent of the primary energy imports were crude oil, followed by petroleum products (16%) and natural gas (12%). The remaining sources of primary energy imports: coal, coal coke, biofuels, and electricity only made up about 2% of all imports. Primary energy exports are about half of imports but of the exports, 61% were petroleum products. Coal, natural gas and crude oil accounted for 38% of exports.

There are a variety of reasons that the U.S. imports and exports the very same energy products. Often, it comes down to regional logistics and transport costs. For example, it may be less expensive for northern states to import natural gas from Canada than it is to transport natural gas over great distances from where it is produced domestically. For U.S. producers of energy products, foreign markets can also provide stability for demand of their products as domestic demand rises and falls.

Primary Energy Imports and Exports, 2014

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Note: Based on data for 11 months of 2014.

Fact #863 Dataset

Supporting Information

Primary Energy Imports and Exports, 2014 (Quadrillion Btu)

 CoalCoal CokeNatural GasCrude OilPetroleum ProductsBiofuelsElectricityTotal
Imports0.250.002.5014.753.370.030.1921.09
 1.2%0.0%11.9%69.9%16.0%0.1%0.9%100%
Exports2.220.021.380.656.830.070.0411.23
 19.8%0.2%12.3%5.8%60.9%0.7%0.4%100%

Source: Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, February 2015, Tables 1.4a and 1.4b.

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