Overview

Resources and Consumption

Maryland has few energy resources. Minor coal reserves are found in the Appalachian Mountains in western Maryland. Wind power potential is found in the Chesapeake Bay, off the Atlantic Coast, and in the Appalachian Mountains. The Susquehanna River in the north is a source of hydroelectric power. Maryland’s economy is not energy-intensive, and per capita energy consumption is low.

Petroleum

Maryland relies on petroleum product deliveries from other States and abroad. The Colonial Pipeline from the Gulf Coast region supplies Maryland markets as it passes through the State on the way to major Northeast population centers. The Port of Baltimore receives petroleum products delivered via the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland requires motor gasoline blended with ethanol across the center of the State, including the Baltimore area and the metropolitan area adjacent to Washington, DC.

Natural Gas

Several major pipelines from the Gulf Coast region supply natural gas to Maryland markets. One of nine U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facilities is located at Cove Point on the Chesapeake Bay’s western shore. The Cove Point terminal receives its LNG supply from Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, and Norway. The converted natural gas is distributed throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Maryland’s residential and commercial sectors dominate State natural gas consumption. Nearly one-half of Maryland households use natural gas for home heating.

Coal, Electricity, and Renewables

Maryland’s coal-fired power plants typically supply more than one-half of the electricity generation within the State. Power from the State’s only nuclear plant, the dual-unit Calvert Cliffs facility, typically supplies more than one-fourth of generation, and petroleum- and natural gas-fired plants supply much of the remainder. Maryland is a minor producer of coal with supplies in the West; most of the State’s coal-fired power plants burn coal shipped from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The Conowingo hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River, one of Maryland's largest generation facilities, provides almost all of the State’s hydroelectricity. More than one-third of Maryland households use electricity as their main source of energy for home heating.

In April 2008, Maryland accelerated its existing renewable portfolio standard to require that renewable energy sources generate 20 percent of the State’s electricity by 2022, with 2 percent of that from solar sources.