Kansas's fossil fuel reserves
Kansas is a landlocked state in the U.S. known for its significant fossil fuel reserves, which include natural gas, crude oil, and coal-bed methane. The Hugoton Natural Gas Area is particularly notable, making Kansas the fifteenth-largest natural gas producer in the country, with an annual production of about 195 billion cubic feet. While Kansas accounts for roughly 1 percent of total U.S. oil production, its oil and gas sectors contribute $4.3 billion annually to the state’s economy and employ around 67,000 individuals. Historically, coal mining played a vital role in the state; however, Kansas has not produced coal since 2016 and currently holds a mere 0.3 percent of the nation’s recoverable coal reserves.
In addition to fossil fuels, Kansas is emerging as a leader in renewable energy, particularly wind power, where it ranks among the top 10 producers in the U.S. The state’s renewable resources accounted for nearly half of its electricity generation in 2023. Kansas also has a nuclear power plant, the Wolf Creek facility, which supports approximately 800,000 homes. Overall, Kansas's energy landscape is a blend of traditional fossil fuel production and growing investments in renewable energy sources.
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Kansas's fossil fuel reserves
Summary: A landlocked US state bordered by Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma, Kansas has substantial fossil fuel resources, including natural gas, crude oil, and coal-bed methane, as well as excellent potential for developing wind power.
Kansas is a landlocked midwestern state that contains both the geographic center of the 48 contiguous US states and the geodetic center of North America. It is the 15th-largest state (52.6 million acres) and has the third most cropland (26.5 million acres) of any US state. It is relatively sparsely populated: Kansas’s 2020 population of 2,937,880 ranks 34th in the United States, and the population density of 34.9 people per square mile places it at 40th. The state has a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers, and average annual precipitation between 1991 and 2020 ranged from 45 inches to less than 18 inches, depending on the area. Major crops include corn, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, and sunflowers, and the primary livestock raised are cattle, hogs, and sheep.
Kansas has substantial fossil fuel resources, including the Hugoton Natural Gas Area, the fifth-largest
Fossil Fuels
Total energy production in Kansas in 2022 was 628 trillion British thermal units (Btu). Kansas produced about 1 percent of the total oil production in the United States, processing about 408,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Kansas was the eighth-largest ethanol-producing state. Its twelve ethanol plants produced about 630 million gallons annually. The fifteenth largest natural gas producer, Kansas produced about 195 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually. Its oil and gas industries generated $4.3 billion annually and employed about 67,000 people within the state. Of Kansas's nearly 60,000 wells, 69 percent produced oil and 31 percent produced natural gas.
With its last coal mine closing in 2016, Kansas no longer produces coal but has 0.3 percent of the country's recoverable coal reserves. Coal mining, both surface and underground, was an important part of the state's history. In the late nineteenth century, coal was used to fuel railroad locomotives.
Renewable resources provided nearly half the state's electricity generation in 2023. This was the third-highest share of wind power in the country, behind Iowa and South Dakota. Kansas has excellent potential for wind power development and is already one of the top 10 wind power producers in the United States. The state's largest wind facility in 2023 was the 604-megawatt High Banks wind farm.
Biomass, solar, and hydropower make up small amounts of the state's renewable energy. Solar energy was 10 times larger in 2023 than it was in 2018. Kansas produced biofuel from two facilities that together generate 9 megawatts. Kansas has several major rivers that have dams, but these were constructed for drinking water and flood control rather than hydropower.
Kansas has one operating nuclear power plant, Wolf Creek in Coffey County in east-central Kansas, 55 miles south of Topeka and 90 miles southwest of Kansas City. The Wolf Creek plant, which began operation in 1985, is run by the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation and is owned by Evergy and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative. It generated 8,981.96 gigawatt-hours in 2023 and provided energy to about 800,000 homes.
Bibliography
Addai, Nico. "Organizers Warn Kansas Citizens as Local Nuclear Components Plant Plans to Double in Size This Year." The Kansas City Defender, 16 Apr. 2024, kansascitydefender.com/climate/organizers-warn-kansas-citians-as-local-nuclear-power-plant-plans-to-double-in-size-this-year-through-multi-billion-dollar-budget/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.
Evans, Catherine S. Geothermal Energy and Heat Pump Potential in Kansas. Lawrence: Kansas Geological Survey, 2011.
"Kansas." US Energy Information Administration, 18 Jan. 2024, www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=KS. Accessed 3 Aug. 2024.
Tanner, Beccy. "In a Kansas Known for Open Skies, Green Energy Alters the Horizon." The Journal, 15 Dec. 2023, klcjournal.com/kansas-horizon-and-green-energy/. Accessed 3 Aug. 2024.