There were almost 200 coal power plants across the United States in 2026. Utilities buy more than 90% of the coal consumed in the United States. Coal plants have been closing since the 2010s due to cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewables. Coal generated about 16% of the electricity at utility-scale facilities in the United States in 2023, down from 39% in 2014 and 51% in 2001. Due to measures such as scrubbers, air pollution from the plants has lessened, but deaths are still estimated at thousands each year with 1600 deaths in 2020 from PM25 alone. Environmentalists say that political action is needed to close them faster, to also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States and better limit climate change.

Coal has been used to generate electricity in the United States since an Edison plant was built in New York City in 1882. The first AC power station was opened by General Electric in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania in 1902, servicing the Webster Coal and Coke Company. By the mid-20th century, coal had become the leading fuel for generating electricity in the US. The long, steady rise of coal-fired generation of electricity shifted to a decline after 2007. The decline has been linked to the increased availability of natural gas, decreased consumption, renewable power, and more stringent environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency has advanced restrictions on coal plants to counteract mercury pollution, smog, and global warming.

Trends, comparisons, and forecasts

The average share of electricity generated from coal in the US has dropped from 52.8% in 1997 to 19.7% in 2022. In 2017, there were 359 coal-powered units at the electrical utilities across the US, with a total nominal capacity of 256 GW (compared to 1024 units at a nominal 278 GW in 2000). The actual average generated power from coal in 2006 was 227.1 GW (1991 TWh per year), the highest in the world and still slightly ahead of China (1950 TWh per year) at that time. In 2000, the US average production of electricity from coal was 224.3 GW (1966 TWh for the year). In 2006, US electrical generation consumed or 92.3% of the coal mined in the US. In 2021, coal supplied of primary energy to electric power plants, which made up 90% of coal's contribution to U.S. energy supply.

Due to emergence of shale gas, coal consumption declined from 2009.Liam Denning. "Trump can’t make both coal and fracking great again" May 29, 2016. Quote: "The trend of gas taking market share from coal began in earnest in 2009 — which just happens to be when the cost of gas to produce electricity collapsed" In the first quarter of 2012, the use of coal for electricity generation declined substantially more, 21% from 2011 levels. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 27 gigawatts of capacity from coal-fired generators is to be retired from 175 coal-fired power plants between 2012 and 2016. Natural gas showed a corresponding increase, increasing by a third over 2011.Electric Power Monthly, March 2011 (released May 2012), U.S. Energy Information Administration Coal's share of electricity generation dropped to just over 36%. Coal use continues to decline rapidly through November 2015 with its share around 33.6%.Electric power monthly Feb. 2017, eia.gov

The coal plants are mostly base-load plants with typical utilisation rates of 50% to 60% (relating to full load hours).

Utility companies have shut down and retired aging coal-fired power plants following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAP).Progress Report Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved October 13, 2020. The extent of shutdowns and reduction in utilization depend on factors such as future price of natural gas and cost of installation of pollution control equipment; however, as of 2013, the future of coal-fired power plants in the United States did not appear promising. In 2014 estimates gauged that an additional 40 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity would retire until 2020, in addition to the nearly 20GW that already had retired as of 2014. This is driven most strongly by inexpensive natural gas competing with coal, and EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which require significant reductions in emissions of mercury, acid gases, and toxic metals, scheduled to take effect in April 2015. Over 13 GW of coal power plants built between 1950 and 1970 were retired in 2015, averaging 133 MW per plant. In Texas, the price drop of natural gas has reduced the capacity factor in 7 of the state's coal plants (max. output 8 GW), and they contribute about a quarter of the state's electricity.

The cost of transporting coal may be around $20/ton for trains, or $5–6/ton for barge and truck.Real Average Transportation and Delivered Costs of Coal, By Year and Primary Transport Mode (2017 dollars per ton) U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved October 13, 2020. A 2015 study by a consortium of environmental organizations concluded that US Government subsidies for coal production are around $8/ton for the Powder River Basin.

In 2018, 16 of the 50 Federal States of the US had either no coal power in their power production for the public power supply (California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont), less than 5% coal in power production (Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Delaware) or between 5 and 10% (Alaska, Nevada, Mississippi, Oregon and Washington State) EIA, Utility Scale Facility Net Generation from Coal, , 20. Nov. 2018 for Jan.-Oct. 2018 see EIA, Utility Scale Facility Net Generation , 20. Nov. 2018

In 2023, the United States experienced a notable decrease in coal capacity, with 9.7 gigawatts (GW) of coal power being retired. This represents a reduction in the rate of coal plant retirements compared to previous years, suggesting a deceleration in the phasing out of coal infrastructure in the country.

Death and disease Deaths from coal power from 1999 to 2020 are estimated at 460,000, mostly in the first decade. Due to measures such as scrubbers, air pollution from coal plants killed far fewer people by the 2020s, but still estimated at thousands each year with 1600 deaths in 2020 from PM25 alone. a few plants emit mercury, lead or arsenic; due to regulations which have been described as allowing “brain poison”.

Ground-level ozone can aggravate asthma. Sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory disease. A 2025 study concluded that phasing out coal would make people in Texas and Pennsylvania healthier.

Environmental impacts Ash ponds can pollute groundwater. In the late 20th century sulfur dioxide from coal plants caused acid rain. Emissions from electricity generation account for the 2nd largest share of greenhouse gas emissions by the United States after transportation. Although coal power produces a small share of electricity in the mid-2020s it emits a lot of , 1,400 to 1,500 million metric ton of emissions each year.

Public debate

Advocates In 2007 an advertising campaign was launched to improve public opinion on coal power titled America's Power. This was done by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (then known as Americans for Balanced Energy Choices), a pro-coal organization started in 2000.

Opposition In the face of increasing electricity demand through the 2000s, the US has seen a "Growing Trend Against Coal-Fired Power Plants". In 2005, the 790 MW Mohave Power Station closed rather than implement court ordered pollution controls. In 2006 through 2007 there was first a bullish market attitude towards coal with the expectation of a new wave of plants, but political barriers and pollution concerns escalated exponentially, which is likely to damage plans for new generation and put pressure on older plants. In 2007, 59 proposed coal plants were canceled, abandoned, or placed on hold by sponsors as a result of financing obstacles, regulatory decisions, judicial rulings, and new global warming legislation."59 Coal Plants Cancelled, Abandoned, or Put on Hold in 2007," Lowbagger.org, 1/22/08"Victories 2007," CoalSwarm

The Stop Coal campaign has called for a moratorium on the construction of any new coal plants and for the phase-out of all existing plants, citing concern for global warming.Want to stop global warming? STOP COAL! Others have called for a carbon tax and a requirement of carbon sequestration for all coal power plants.

The creation in January 2009 of a Presidential task force (to look at ways to alter the energy direction of the United States energy providers) favors the trend away from coal-fired power plants.

Statistics + United States coal generation (GWh) Year Total % of total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2001 1,903,956 177,287 149,735 155,269 140,671 151,593 162,616 179,060 183,116 154,158 148,931 144,117 157,402 2002 1,933,130 164,358 143,049 151,486 142,305 151,406 164,668 183,195 179,955 165,366 159,099 156,054 172,190 2003 1,973,737 181,313 156,982 155,002 141,960 150,263 162,285 181,852 185,332 164,910 159,323 158,223 176,291 2004 1,978,301 180,657 161,503 154,288 141,471 157,076 167,642 181,492 178,181 164,253 157,605 157,436 176,755 2005 2,012,873 177,014 155,818 163,613 143,083 153,958 174,867 186,091 187,574 171,656 162,437 158,798 177,965 2006 1,990,511 169,236 158,616 161,325 141,426 157,010 169,693 187,821 189,455 161,590 161,390 159,440 173,509 2007 2,016,456 175,739 163,603 159,811 146,250 157,513 173,513 185,054 190,135 169,391 162,234 159,382 173,830 2008 1,985,801 182,876 166,666 160,743 146,983 154,916 171,043 186,733 180,576 161,356 151,841 154,281 167,786 2009 1,755,904 171,925 140,916 135,530 125,935 131,673 148,087 158,234 163,260 137,145 139,956 136,810 166,434 2010 1,847,290 173,320 153,044 144,406 126,952 143,272 165,491 179,600 177,745 148,746 132,270 135,185 167,258 2011 1,733,430 170,803 138,311 134,845 124,488 137,102 158,055 176,586 171,281 140,941 126,627 121,463 132,929 2012 1,514,043 129,091 113,872 105,526 96,285 115,983 131,261 160,450 152,181 125,589 120,999 128,727 134,079 2013 1,581,115 138,105 123,547 130,634 111,835 119,513 138,283 152,867 149,426 133,110 120,996 120,940 141,860 2014 1,581,710 157,097 143,294 136,443 109,281 118,786 137,577 149,627 148,452 126,110 111,296 119,127 124,620 2015 1,352,398 132,451 126,977 108,488 88,989 104,585 125,673 139,100 134,670 117,986 96,759 87,227 89,495 2016 1,239,149 113,459 92,705 72,173 72,113 81,695 116,034 136,316 135,635 114,118 99,194 86,940 118,747 2017 1,205,835 115,333 86,822 89,365 81,335 92,777 107,508 127,698 119,488 98,202 89,776 90,986 106,545 2018 1,149,487 119,284 82,050 80,626 73,346 85,227 101,503 115,376 115,129 96,544 87,264 92,819 100,319 2019 964,957 100,905 79,929 78,352 59,922 71,885 78,540 100,771 94,040 85,707 66,777 75,549 72,581 2020 773,393 65,140 56,201 50,731 40,675 46,527 65,283 89,709 91,145 68,407 59,805 61,182 78,588 2021 897,999 81,240 87,470 61,904 53,956 63,873 87,265 101,537 101,855 78,877 62,572 57,426 60,025 2022 831,512 87,588 70,966 61,019 55,329 62,532 73,463 86,415 85,215 64,998 54,228 56,377 73,381 2023 675,264 61,291 46,488 50,067 40,079 43,852 57,698 78,910 78,185 60,006 50,954 51,229 56,271 2024 652,760 75,662 44,055 38,360 37,223 46,328 61,399 71,686 68,838 54,526 46,993 44,990 62,888 2025 737,151 83,150 62,262 49,134 45,839 48,744 64,436 80,249 69,728 58,427 54,435 54,490 66,871 2026 257,389 72,503 55,859 44,132 39,777 45,119 Last entry, % of total

Phase-out Coal generated about 19.5% of the electricity at utility-scale facilities in the United States in 2022, down from 38.6% in 2014 and 51% in 2001. In 2021, coal supplied of primary energy to electric power plants, which made up 90% of coal's contribution to U.S. energy supply. +US electricity generation from coalYearElectrical generation from coal (TWh)Total electrical generation (TWh) % from coalNumber of coal