Electric and gas utility industrial production 2001-2011

The three charts below illustrate industrial production in the electric and gas utility segment over the past 10 years (2001-2011).  All data is from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Ssytem.  Unfortunately, separate data for the electric utilities was not availabe.

The first chart represents an index of industrial production.  Shaded in gray are the two most recent recessionary periods. Note the decline in the index during the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions.  However, recent data shows industrial production for electric and gas utilities is nearing the pre-recession high in early 2007.

The following chart shows the year-over-year (YoY) percent change in electric and gas utility industrial production.  Recessionary downturns are quite obvious on this basis.  Note the sharp and dramatic turn around in industrial production following the end of the 2001 recession.  Production quickly jumped from a -9% YoY change to a +9% YoY in a little over a year.  On the other hand, the most post-2009 recession bounce has not been as strong on a YoY percent change basis, topping at +7.5%. 

The final chart combines the two previous measures.