Abstract
US is the largest consumer and importer of energy. The Average cents for coal, natural gas and petroleum for the power plants in the US are 136.1¢, 596.1¢ and 429.4¢ per MMBtu, respectively. Wyoming alone produced 35.6% of total coal in the US and it also has large and increasing natural gas reserves. Both the Western and the Eastern US states pay high prices for electric energy, compared to the Wyoming. Rail road cost from Wyoming for coal transportation is twice than its mine mouth cost. Between 1993 and 2004 electric energy production from natural gas increased from 13% to 18%, even though, natural gas is the most costly fossil fuel for the power plant. This was done as a quick response to the shortage and several blackouts in the Western and the Eastern US. Natural gas-fired power plants could be built in a shorter time frame, where as coal-fired power plants require a long lead time. Long term planning and realistic load forecasting could save huge amounts in fuel cost and add stability and reliability margins in the system. Wyoming is suitable for producing more electric energy from both wind and coal and its geographic location can utilize the opportunity to meet the demands in both the Western and the Eastern US.
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