This is a list of the 215 operational coal-fired power stations in the United States.
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Coal generated 16% of electricity in the United States in 2023, [1] an amount less than that from renewable energy or nuclear power, [2] [3] and about half of that generated by natural gas plants. Coal was 17% of generating capacity. [4]
Between 2010 and May 2019, 290 coal power plants, representing 40% of the U.S. coal generating capacity, closed. This was mainly due to competition from other generating sources, primarily cheaper and cleaner natural gas, as a result of the fracking boom, which has replaced so many coal plants that natural gas in 2019 accounted for 40% of the total electricity generation in the U.S., as well as the decrease in the cost of renewables. [5] However, some coal plants remain profitable because costs to other people due to the health and environmental impact of the coal industry (estimated to average 5 cents per kWh) [6] [7] are not priced into the cost of generation. Some coal plants are considering only operating during periods of higher electricity demand, from December to February and from June to August. [8] Most plants are expected to close by 2039. [9]
