The production of primary aluminum relies on an eletrolytic process and is thus highly electricity-intensive. According to the most recent Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS), the U.S. aluminum industry consumed about 727 trillion Btu of energy in 1994 (including electricity losses). This amount represents slightly less than 1% of domestic energy use and 2-3% of all U.S. manufacturing energy use. According to a study sponsored by DOE, the total energy consumption associated with the production of molten primary aluminum in 1995 was 522 trillion Btu [DOE 1997].