3.5 Refining and Upstream Energy Use
The integrated US-REGEN model represents the industrial activity involved in the conversion of primary fossil energy into refined products for final energy use. This includes oil refining and natural gas processing and pipeline use. Midstream activity scales directly with national consumption, and the required inputs of natural gas, petroleum, and electricity scale with the refining activity. State-by-state activity is scaled uniformly, meaning that state refining and processing activity rises and falls with the national total. The midstream energy sectors are assumed to have a flat load shape, with total electricity demand determined by the required electricity inputs to meet national consumption.