Electrical Power

Images source: WPB

The expansion of aluminum, magnesium, synthetic rubber and arms plants, shipyards, camps, and the cross-country pipelines required additional electrical power. The 161.3 billion kilowatt-hours of energy produced in 1939 was increased to 279.5 billion kilowatt-hours in 1944, an increase of 73%. Most of this power was generated by private utilities, augmented by small amounts of public power. Expansion was so rapid that at no time during the war was rationing required. This increase in plant and transmission lines required an increase in coal production to feed water boilers, which in turn powered steam turbines and electrical generators. Ships required non-utility power. A battleship required 225, 000 hp while an aircraft carrier required twice as much, amounts sufficient to power small cities. Expansion was kept to a minimum by pooling the electricity across the nation. For example, all the power systems in TN, AL, GA, FL, NC, SC and KT were pooled into a single operating network intertied at Memphis and linked with the Southewest pool composed of OK, KS, AR, TX and LA.^{WPB 39-41}