EIA report says coal losing further ground in US

• 10 years ago (2013-11-14)
• Junior Isles

North America 1004

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A new report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that coal-fired generation has lost some of its share of the US energy mix to natural gas and non-hydroelectric renewables, while still remaining the single largest fuel source.

Unsurprisingly, the generation mix is not uniform across the US and varies significantly by region depending on available resources and regional market prices.

Natural gas has been gaining market share from coal in much of the country, but this effect is weaker in western markets closer to the cheaper Powder River Basin coal.

Renewable sources are growing steadily across the board, especially in Texas and western states. Petroleum-fired electricity generation has been in decline for several decades, but still plays an important role as backup to intermittent generation and those rare times when other alternatives are not available.