Coal Supplying Less US Power Than Gas, Renewables and Nuclear
- Coal’s share of US power mix seen falling to 17% this year
- Utilities lean toward natural gas as price declines sharply
Turbines from a wind farm next to a coal processing plant in Oakland, Maryland.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Coal use in the US power market is set to decline for a second year in succession as utilities increasingly shift to cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewables.
The dirtiest fossil fuel will supply about 17% of US electricity this year, according to Energy Department data released Tuesday. That’s down from 20% last year and continues a decades-long decline. Coal will now supply less electricity than gas, renewables or nuclear plants.