asically ores colour and ferrous metals ores are extracted accordingly decreases. The mining industry of the USA is closely connected with fuel and energy a complex. In the USA it is developed about 3 bln. in kw-h. the electric power. The power balance structure in comparison with the pre-war period has undergone changes. Oil and gas now prevails. There was a difference between structure of stocks (oil and gas of 7%, coal of 93%) and consumption structure (oil and gas approximately 75%, coal - 25%) fuel resources of the USA.
The greatest value for a power economy of the country has oil industry. The leading role in an oil recovery is played by southwest states - Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexicos delivering about 70% of oil extracted in the country. Within this area oil is extracted and in a shelf zone of Gulf of Mexico. Large oil fields are available at Pacific coast in the State of California, in mountain state of Wyoming. Last yearsthere begun wide development of deposits on Alaska.
The USA possesses a powerful petroleum-refining industry. The largest oil refining factories of firms: «Exon corporation» Louisiana and Texas, «Texaco incorporaid» in Texas, «Amoco oil» also in Texas are located in states. Placing of oil refining of the USA considerably differs from an oil recovery. The considerable part of capacities takes places not only in extraction areas, but also in consumption areas, that is in the major industrial knots of the Northeast, in the port centers, on the lines of the main oil pipelines.central areas of concentration of oil refining factories are:
Coast of Gulf of Mexico (a strip in width of 200-300 km on the territory of states Texas, Louisiana, Mississipi),
Southern and the Central California,
A strip of the Atlantic coast from New York to Baltimore (mainly a mouth of the rivers Hudsons and Delaware).
Areas of deposits of natural gas basically coincide with petroliferous pools. On a share of 5 states - Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas is necessary over 90% of extraction.
The considerable part of oil, gas and mineral oil arrives from southwest states of the country in areas of the industrial North of the USA. Total length main petroleum about 300 thousand km, gas pipelines - more than 350 thousand km. Distributive pipelines form especially dense inner network at coast of Gulf of Mexico, connecting gas - and petrocrafts with oil refining and gas amp; petrol factories, petrochemical factories and ports.
On a coal mining of the USA occupies 1 place in the world (1 billion t. per year). As a result of an energy crisis and sharp increase of the prices for oil, both on external, and internal market in the USA big attention began to be given to working out of profitable ways of production of liquid fuel from coal. It is typical, that the active role in these researches is played by leading oil monopolies of the country.
The electric power industry is among most quickly developing branches of economy of the USA. The largest state electricity supply system of the USA is the system hydraulic and thermal power plants in the pool of the rivers Tennessee and Cumberland, operated river Tennessee Administration. But about 80% of all electric power are developed in the USA in the private power plants, including 4% -power plants of the industrial enterprises.hydroelectric power station s share in the electric power manufacture steadily decreases, though hydropower constructions use less than 35 % of potential resources of all rivers. About 60% of all electric power developed on hydroelectric power stations in the West states including 48% - on Pacific states. Large hydroelectric power plants are constructed in the USA also on Niagara, Tennessee and in the river Missouri headwaters. Unlike thermal power plant all largest hydroelectric power plants of the USA belong to the state or local authorities. Their number concern: Grand Coulee on the river Colombia, John-Day on the same river, Robert-Mozes on the river Niagara and others. Projects of expansion of capacities of the largest hydroelectric power plants of the Pacific Northwest are developed.
Over 80% of the electric power in the USA it is made at thermal plants. The share of the thermal power plant, using as a fuel coal, gives 54% of capacities, natural gas - 27%, black oil - 19%. In connection with crisis in the markets of liquid fuel a number of plants using black oil are changed last years for coal.In the location of electric power industry of the USA the tendency of gradual strengthening of value of southern states, in particular South Atlantic, and the Southwest centre is distinctly observed.
From the middle of 60t...
