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But that’s not all the petroleum we consumed
in Georgia in 2000. Another $3.8 billion was spent on petroleum
primarily used in manufacturing processes and for electricity
generation. This represents less than 2 percent of the fuel
we use to generate electricity. Most of the electricity in
Georgia is produced from coal and nuclear fuels. Although
Georgia ranked below the national average for electricity
prices, Georgia individuals and businesses still spent a total
of $7.4 billion on electricity in 2000.
Natural gas historically has been a minor fuel source for
generating electricity, but this trend is changing. In 1990,
natural gas was used in one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of
the electricity produced. By 1999, this percentage rose to
1.4, representing an average annual growth rate of 30.4 percent
over this period. There are many reasons for this change and
there are consequences of the decision to utilize more natural
gas for power production. On the bright side, it offers less
toxic air emissions than coal and nuclear power generation,
but it still has an impact on our precious natural resources.
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Typically, natural gas was only
needed by utilities in the non-heating season to run
power plants that were only operated about 10% of all
hours each year. Since natural gas has been primarily
used as a heating fuel, this summer usage made little
impact on the supply requirements and pipeline system.
Today’s combined-cycle generating units operate 60 percent
of the year, now putting a tremendous strain on existing
natural gas pipelines. In fact, the pipeline capacity
required for one 560-MW combined-cycle project, producing
enough energy to power approximately 370,000 households
for one year, requires about the same amount as the
firm pipeline capacity for the city of Augusta. Between
2000-2004, the three interstate pipeline systems serving
Georgia will have added 1.6 million decatherms per day
of new pipeline capacity, an amount that is slightly
less than Atlanta Gas Light Company’s peak winter day
demand in the entire state. The primary impact of this
expansion to individual Georgians is being felt by
the
landowners and communities affected by construction. |
| Natural
gas is a primary fuel for heating homes |
We have over 8.4 million people, 3.3 million housing units,
and almost 200,000 business establishments in our State. Clearly,
we need energy to fuel our business operations; to transport
us to work, school and recreation; and to heat and cool our
homes. We need to keep our economy strong and our standard
of living high, but we also need to be mindful of the impact
of wasting energy. When we neglect to invest in energy efficiency
measures for our homes and businesses, or we insist on logging
countless miles as a solo passenger in an immense vehicle,
we cannot ignore the consequences borne by our environment
and effects upon our quality of life.
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