U.S. coal energy consumption by state | Statista (2024)

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U.S. coal energy consumption by state | Statista? ›

Coal energy consumption in the United States 2022, by state

The electric power sector has accounted for the majority of U.S. coal consumption since 1961. U.S. coal consumption by consuming sector and by amount—in million short tons (MMst) —and percentage share of total coal consumption in 2022 was: Electric power—469.9 MMst—91.7% Industrial total—41.9 MMst—8.2%

Coal was the largest source of electricity generation for 15 states in 2021. In 15 U.S. states last year, coal was used to generate electricity more than any other energy source. Twenty years earlier, in 2001, coal was the largest source of electricity generation in 32 states.

As domestic consumption of U.S. coal declines in the near term, we expect exports to account for a larger share of total U.S. coal consumption, according to our recently released Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). We expect U.S. coal consumption will total 482 million short tons (MMst) in 2024, 29% less than in 2019.

China accounts for around 52.5 percent of total coal electricity generation in the world.

Texas is the largest coal energy consuming state in the U.S., using some 926 trillion British thermal units worth in 2022 in the electric power sector. Ranking second, Indiana consumed roughly 580 trillion British thermal units that same year.

The vast majority of this—over 90%--is used for electricity generation.

Based on U.S. coal production in 2022, of about 0.594 billion short tons, the recoverable coal reserves would last about 422 years, and recoverable reserves at producing mines would last about 20 years.

Longview Power is one of the newest, most efficient and cleanest coal-fired power plants in the United States using state-of-the-art clean coal technology to reliably produce low-cost electrical power.

When was the last coal plant built in the US? ›

The last large (greater than 100 MW) coal-fired power plant built in the United States was the 932 MW Sandy Creek Energy Station in Texas, which came online in 2013.

Largest municipal ban: San Antonio, Texas. Largest municipal ban with a PAH limit: Austin, TX. State bans: Washington, Minnesota, Maine (Effective 10/2024), New York (sales cease 11/2022; application ends 11/2023), and Maryland (ban effective 10/2023).

Fueled in part by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the U.S. is poised to increase renewable generation around 10 percent each year between 2024 and 2026, surpassing coal generation in 2024, according to the IEA.

The country's coal output has dropped by half since peaking in 2008. Now the U.S. has a fleet of aging power plants that are slipping toward retirement — pushed on their way by persistent legal pressure from environmentalists who are hailing the new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Deregulating railroads in the 1970s allowed cheap Western coal to displace more costly Eastern coal, resulting in major job losses in the labor-intensive Eastern coal industry. The fracking revolution has driven down natural gas prices, making coal less competitive in electricity production.

Coal is the largest domestically produced source of energy in America and is used to generate a significant chunk of our nation's electricity.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, most of the nation's electricity was generated by natural gas, renewable sources, coal, and nuclear energy in 2022. Renewable sources of electricity include wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal.

The main fossil fuels are petroleum, natural gas, and coal. The U.S. Energy Information Administration stated that around 40% of the energy was generated by petroleum, followed by natural gas, and finally coal.