Texas is America’s energy expansion leader
Texas’ proven oil and gas reserves, combined with outsized production levels, have cemented the state’s role as the United States’ energy leader. New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA) reveals that Texas’ energy leadership is rapidly expanding to include both greater oil and gas production and increasing amounts of wind and solar power generation. Here’s some of the key data-based takeaways describing Texas’ leadership in America’s energy expansion.
1. Texas oil production reached record highs in 2023, accounting for a greater share of overall U.S. production.
One of the major headlines from 2023 was that Texas’ daily oil production exceeded the records set before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. That headline fueled another: Texas produced a record-breaking 2,012,543 thousand barrels of oil in 2023, according to USEIA data. Between 2014 and 2023, Texas oil production increased by 73% while total U.S. production grew by 47%. Much of this domestic growth came from Texas.
In 2014, Texas accounted for roughly 36% of all domestic oil production. In the intervening decade, production from Texas oil fields increased, contributing approximately 42% of U.S. production by 2023.
2. Texas natural gas production set a new record.
2023 was also a record-breaking year for Texas’ natural gas production. Texas produced 12,367,882 million cubic feet (MCF) of natural gas last year, a 43% increase from 8,659,187 MCF in 2014, according to USEIA. During that same time period, the total U.S. natural gas production rose from 31,405,382 MCF to 45,637,379 MCF, a 45% increase.
Over the past decade, Texas has produced between 22.7% to 28.4% of all U.S. natural gas. Currently, Texas accounts for roughly 27% of all U.S. natural gas production.
3. Texas wind generation has nearly tripled over the past decade.
Between 2014 and 2023, the amount of electricity generated by Texas wind power increased from 40,005 thousand megawatt hours (MWH) to 119,836 thousand MWH, according to USEIA data. While Texas’ wind generation nearly tripled, total U.S. wind generation grew at a lesser rate from 181,655 thousand MWH in 2014 to 425,235 thousand MWH in 2023.
Texas’ wind generation has slowly marched toward accounting for a greater share of domestic wind power. Ten years ago, Texas wind power equaled roughly 22% of all U.S. wind generation. Last year, Texas generated approximately 28% of all U.S. wind power generation.
4. Texas solar power growth outshines the nation.
Eclipses notwithstanding, Texas’ utility-scale solar power generation has skyrocketed. In 2013, solar power generated 282 thousand MWH in Texas. Last year, Texas solar power generated 27,401 thousand MWH, a 9,705% increase from 2013. For comparison, total U.S. utility-scale solar power generation increased by 930% from 17,691 thousand MWH in 2014 to 164,501 thousand MWH in 2023.
Remarkably, Texas’ solar power generation is rapidly contributing an increasing share of the U.S.’s total solar power. Between 2014 and 2023, Texas’ share of total U.S. solar power increased from roughly 1.5% to approximately 17%.
Toward a continued Texas Energy Expansion
Data from Texas 2036’s Future of Texas Energy dashboard suggests that Texas is primed to continue as the nation’s energy leader. The modeled energy future scenarios represent different pathways the state may take, including a renewable-heavy energy transition or an “all-of-the-above” energy expansion. Each path yields different outcomes in terms of energy production, emissions and economic growth. The data from these models suggest that a broad, diversified energy portfolio — an energy expansion that includes oil and gas and renewables — offers the best opportunity for the continuation of the Texas energy and economic miracle.