US coal-fired generation sees new 30-year low

• 13 years ago (2011-08-03)
• Junior Isles

North America 1026

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In the first quarter of 2011 the amount of US power generated by coal-fired power plants reached a new 30-year low.

US coal-fired plants provided 440 TWh of power over this three-month period, 26.5 TWh or six per cent less than the year before, despite the fact that overall US generation decreased by less than one per cent.

This trend is partly explained by the fact that coal spot prices have been rising for nearly two years, while natural gas prices have been falling. Natural gas is also expected to remain cheap for at least another year.

In the Midwest, coal’s share of power generation dropped from 70.5 per cent last year to 66.9 per cent, almost entirely to the benefit of natural gas. The south saw its use of coal decrease by 7 per cent, the northeast by 8 per cent and the west by 2.6 per cent, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA).