Energy in Arcerion
Arcerion has considerable sources of oil and natural gas in the Northern portions of the Albion Sea and is ranked as one of the largest net exporters of natural gas and crude oil in the 21st Century, and is in the top three in Crona. Arcerion is energy self-sufficient based on its reserves of crude oil, natural gas, and coal mined from the Aileach Mountain Range. With gas resources expected to decline in usage as well as available stock, the Confederate Parliament has sought to invest in renewable and long-term energy investments such as nuclear energy. Arcerion has been traditionally dominated in the energy sector by coal-fired powerplants due to the abundance of coal in the Aileach Mountains. However it still remains as one of the main components for fueling the energy production centers for the Arcer Power Grid. Coal amounts to 52% of energy and electricity production in Arcerion, followed by nuclear at 24% and natural gas at 19%. Solar, wind and renewable/'green' energy sources make up the remaining 5% of Arcerion's electricity production.
The Arcer government is expected by 2030 to publish a Memo on Energy Policy to better align with modern trends for green energy sources as a means for combatting climate change. While the Arcer government has not outright stated it will become independent of fossil fuels, it has stated that it intends to increase the amount of non-coal power plants by at least three by 2030, including the construction of a new pair of nuclear reactors in Easthampton and Presdale.
Arcerion's power grid is connected via large hydro towers and transmission lines to several other Cronan countries. It is considered to have the best energy security in Crona as of 2020, and provided the vast majority of the electricity for Washakara, the New Archduchy, and Telokona.
History
Statistics
During the Occidental Cold War and the 20th century, Arcerion's energy consumption almost entirely came from coal-fired power plants. With the discovery in 1977 of vast reserves of natural gas and oil in the Albion Sea, Arcerion announced exploration and drilling operations, expanding its de facto exclusive economic zone in Howland Governorate by dozens of kilometers and increasing its naval presence to defend Arcer liquid gas interests. By 2000, natural gas and oil imports to Arcerion, in addition to new technologies in the coal industry and advanced deep-mining operations in Moorden resulted in Arcerion becoming energy self-sufficient.
After 2000, there was a significant shift towards the modern status quo for energy. The oil and gas boom of the 1980s and 1990s had given a much needed economic increase to Arcerion's GDP, however the Confederate Parliament forecasted that they would require a significant amount more for future energy usage and a post-industrial society. With the first nuclear plant being completed in 1986, there had been no new efforts to create similar types of energy producing facilities due to the availability and relatively low cost of coal as Arcerion was a net exporter. However Arcerion created two new reactors in 2013 (Easthampton) and 2019 (Dunborough) to augment the existing facility in Dalfearn. Utilizing major rivers in Arcerion, they were able to look to create a more resilient national energy strategy now that coal was in decline.
As the government looked to the future, it create two large wind farms, utilizing windmills to generate electricity in Foxhey, which was dislocated from the Arco power Grid, and Presdale, which was remote when compared to the rest of the Arcer population. As well, the expected direction from the 2030 Memo on Energy Policy is likely to include provisions for Hydroelectric power, focusing on building hydroelectric dams in Easthampton and the Northumbraeland Mountains. Northlea Governorate was approached with a similar strategy in the 1990s, but the idea was shelved due to concerns about creating man-made lakes and destroying/displacing Arcer farmers in the Arcer Heartland due to its Lowland terrain.
Energy Sources
Coal
Coal is the largest producer of energy in Arcerion and one of its largest exports, with customers and Arcer mining companies spread across the globe. Arcer mining interests are as old as the colony itself, with the majority of industrial-scale mining beginning with the establishment of Easthampton, Moorden governorate in 1834. Easthampton would quickly grow to become a large mining town, mainly centered around the mining operations in the Aileach Mountain ranges. This industrial scale mining is well represented within the Arcer energy infrastructure, with six separate coal power plants in mainland Arcerion under the jurisdiction of the federal government. There is also a significant number of smaller powerplants administered and controlled by the individual governorates and municipalities of Arcerion. Coal has been on a steady decline in the Arcerion energy sphere since the discovery of the Albion Sea Gas Fields in 1977. During the oil and gas boom of the 1980s and 1990s coal dropped over a quarter (28%) in the Arcer energy sector, and jobs declined as well due to a migration to Howland governorate of technically skilled specialists and their families to pursue gas field employment for higher pay. However coal has remained resilient due to its large share of exports in Arcerion, and in conjunction with the Arco National Railway Service, which brings coal to importers in Southwest and Southeast Crona along the Western line as far as Alstin's Betlands, and as far North as the Mid-Atrassic States controlled by Kiravia.
Oil
The extraction and refinement of crude oil in Arcerion is one of the largest industries for natural resource exploitation and also one of the most quickly growing. Along with natural gas, it accounts for a sizeable portion of the Arcer economy, and provides annually tens of thousands of direct production and processing jobs, as well as hundreds of thousands of ancillary or second-order jobs such as shipping, refining, sales, and logistical support. Crude oil in Arcerion accounts for relatively little of the national energy usage from a national power perspective, however refining facilities in Howland Governorate assist the Arcer petroleum industry in the mass production of oil-related goods. Arcerion maintains a national oil reserve, split equally between Howland Governorate and Chester-on-Moore, both of which contribute to the nation's energy security and national energy resilience strategies.
Natural Gas
Natural gas represents the single largest industry outside of continental Arcerion. While traditional economic industries such as agriculture and mining have provided a large percentage of Arcerion's GDP, natural gas is dual purpose, as it not only is a major export commodity for the Cronan nation, but it also represents a significant part of the energy sustainment for Howland Governorate. On Mainland Crona, Arcer natural gas provides much of the energy for Malentina, Porlos, and Istrenya, accompanied by Arcer coal imports. In Arcerion, natural gas has no major power plants, as coal is cheaper to mine, ship, and burn, but Arco natural gas is still used widely throughout Crona. Natural gas has maintained a steady portion of the Arcer energy infrastructure, at roughly 20%, but makes up a considerable amount of the exports.
Solar and Renewable
Solar and renewable energy represents the smallest but arguably the fastest growing sector of the Arcer energy infrastructure. Comprised of wind farms, limited geothermal power plants, and solar energy, there is a growing push to 'go green' as Arcerion continues to feel the effects of climate change with its annual wildfires. As a result, different governorates have strategies that are aimed to increase the amount of solar and renewable energy in Arcerion from 5% to 20% by 2035 at the latest, with optimistic projections set higher at 30% of all Arco energy production being sustainable, renewable, or natural forms of energy.
Electricity
Wind Power in Arcerion
Northlea and Foxhey Governorates are the two largest users of energy in Arcerion. For Northlea this is due to terrain, as the wide sweeping plains and low rolling hills of the Arcer Heartland do not allow for the effective implementation of hydroelectric dams, and the effect of coal burning plants can lead to damaged or polluted crops, making the Governorate's leadership hesitant to allow for the expansion of such facilities into the inner reaches of Arcerion. However, the nuclear plant located in Dalfearn provides the electricity for the vast majority of the Arcer Heartland, and with plans to construct an additional nuclear facility in Presdale by the end of 2030, energy security will be vastly improved for Arcer farmers and their families.
In Foxhey, the limited access to natural gas or nuclear power makes the Governorate entirely reliant on coal shipped in from Chester-on-Moore and other major Arcer export ports. However Foxhey's coal-fired power plant is supplemented by a maritime windfarm, off the coast of Port Gibson, the only one of its kind in Arcerion. Between the two, the island's population of nine million receives enough power, however the overhead and above-ground electricity pylons are prone to damage from tropical storms in the Malentine Sea, making their energy security the lowest in Arcerion.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydroelectric power, or the usage of natural waterways to generate electricity is the least used form of energy generation in Arcerion. A significant component of this is due to the lowland and below-sea-level terrain that makes up much of continental Arcerion. Additionally, political opposition from Northlea Governorate and its federal representatives have made the Confederate Parliament hesitant to invest in the technology, although limited plans for the Northumbraeland Mountain Hydroelectric Dam are being discussed with the government of the new Archduchy, as this will assist them in becoming less reliant on Arcer coal and natural gas imports.
Nuclear Power and Nuclear Energy in Arcerion
Currently there are three nuclear reactors in Arcerion, providing electricity to the Northwest, Arcer Heartland, and Moorden Governorate/Southeast. In the Northwest, the Dunborough Nuclear Power Plant (DNPP) provides the electricity for much of Norham Governorate and the Northern portions of Northlea, and has lines that also provide a majority of the electricity for Telekona and Eastern Kelekona. In central Arcerion, the Heartland Nuclear Power Station (HNPS) provides Arcer farmers and industrial agriculture facilities with almost all of their electricity, save for smaller solar or coal-fired generation plants. Lastly, the Moorden Nuclear Power Plant (MNPP) in Easthampton, the Eastern Aileach Mountains, supplies Southeastern Arcerion, most of the major mining and industrial manufacturing centers in this region, and also sells a large amount of its runoff power to Washakara.
Arcerion has additional plans for two more power plants, the McCallan River Nuclear Power Station (MRNPS) near Easthampton in Southeast Arcerion, as well as the Northlea Nuclear Power Plant adjacent to the city of Presdale, in Northern Arcerion.
Consumption
Show a market cap summary of $billions by energy company so far
Production
Power Stations
Chart
Howland has Natural Gas power plant
Nuclear plants x3-4, plans for 2
Northlea 2 solar plants
easthampton coal plant
chester has natural coal plant
kurst has coal plant being downsized
Producers and Companies
No national control but national standards and regulations (power grid redundancy and safety)
Transmission
Undersea power lines to Foxhey? Maybe?
shipping to other countries via freighters from Port Northford (largets city and capital of Howland Governorate)
need a chart showing major arcer sea lanes across IX from Port Northford, makes Albion Sea now key naval terrain
Key Trading Partners
Washakara
Telokona
New Archduchy
Municipal and Governorates
Some non-federal plants but mostly centralized by Confederate control