Cross-border electricity exports — almost exclusively via high-voltage transmission interconnections with Canada and Mexico — are authorized by the Department of Energy under Presidential Permit and export authorization requirements. Unlike commodity exports loaded onto vessels, electric energy flows continuously and is metered at the border, making real-time grid coordination between US and neighboring system operators a central operational concern. Trade volumes in this category reflect both long-term power purchase agreements and short-term spot market transactions on interconnected grids.

AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.