LVXXU

Chapter I: Introduction
The Character of the Nation’s TS&D Infrastructure
The United States has one of the most advanced energy systems in the world, supplying the reliable, affordable,
and increasingly clean power and fuels that underpin every facet of the Nation’s economy and way of life.
The energy TS&D infrastructure—defined here as the infrastructure that links energy supplies, energy carriers,
or energy by-products to intermediate and end users—is large, complex, and interdependent. It includes
approximately 2.6 million miles of interstate and intrastate pipelines; 414 natural gas storage facilities; 330
ports handling crude petroleum and refined petroleum products; and more than 140,000 miles of railways
that handle crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. The electrical
component of the Nation’s TS&D infrastructure links more than 19,000 individual generators with a capacity
of 1 megawatt or more (sited at more than 7,000 operational power plants), with more than 642,000 miles of
high-voltage transmission lines and 6.3 million miles of distribution lines. 1, 2
The critical importance of these infrastructure facilities is not only in linking energy system components with
each other and with end users across the Nation; they also link the U.S. energy system to the rest of the world.
The TS&D infrastructure elements considered in this report are listed in Table 1-1.
Table 1-1. Elements of TS&D Infrastructure Considered in this Installment of the QER 3
Fuel/Energy Carrier
TS&D Infrastructure Element/System
Transmission lines and substations
Electricity
Distribution lines and distributed generation
Electricity storage
Other electric grid-related infrastructure
Natural gas gathering lines
Transmission pipelines
Natural Gas
Natural gas storage facilities
Processing facilities
Distribution pipelines and systems
LNG production/storage facilities (including export terminals)
Coal
Rail, truck, barge transport
Export terminals
Crude oil pipelines
Crude oil and products import and export terminals
Crude Oil/
Petroleum Products
Rail, truck, barge transport
Oil refineries
Strategic Petroleum Reserve & Regional Petroleum Product Reserves
CO 2
pipelines (including EOR)
Biofuels
Transport of feedstock and derived products, biorefineries
1-2 QER Report: Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure | April 2015