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Coal Facts

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Today, the U.S. coal fleet is made of approximately 415 individual coal-fired electric generating units representing roughly 183,000 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity.
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In 2023, Coal supplied 16% of electricity generated in the U.S.
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Last year, 41 states relied on coal for electricity. Coal provided at least half the electricity in seven states and at least one-quarter of the electricity in 16 states. Coal was the largest source of electricity in 12 states.
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The U.S. has the largest coal reserves in the world with 251 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves. That’s more than 435 years of coal at current production levels.
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The U.S. has the largest coal reserves in the world with 250 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves. That’s more than 420 years of coal at current production levels.

40 States Relied on Coal in 2023

During 2023, coal provided at least half the electricity in five states and at least 20% of the electricity in 17 states. Since 2022, the retirement of more than 14,000 MW of coal capacity has been delayed or canceled.  Most of these delays or cancellations were due to reliability concerns.

Approximately Two-thirds of the Coal Fleet’s Generating Capacity is Located in RTO/ISO Regions

  • Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) … 47,800 MW
  • PJM … 39,900 MW
  • Southwest Power Pool (SPP) … 20,400 MW
  • Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) … 13,600 MW

Average Cost of Coal and Natural Gas for Electricity Generation ($/MMBtu)

The cost of coal for electricity has remained stable (almost flat) over the past 15 years. Coal prices are far less volatile than those of natural gas.

China has the World’s Largest Coal Fleet by Far

  • China’s fleet is over 1.14 million MW, more than six times the size of the U.S. coal fleet. 
  • China’s coal fleet represents one-half of the global coal fleet.
  • They are constructing or developing nearly 408,000 MW of new coal capacity.
  • India has the second-largest coal fleet, with over 237,000 MW.
  • India is constructing or developing 77,000 MW of additional coal capacity.  
  • China accounted for 54% (4.52 billion tonnes) of the world’s total coal consumption (8.42 billion tonnes) in 2022 and is projected to increase consumption by an additional 150 million tonnes by 2026.
  • India, the second-largest consumer of coal, used 1.16 billion tonnes in 2022 and is projected to increase its consumption by 235 million tonnes by 2026.
  • Worldwide, almost 578,000 MW of new coal-fired generating capacity are in various stages of development. 

The price of coal is expected to remain low and relatively unchanged next year. But coal plant closures expose consumers to higher and volatile natural gas prices.

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More than 60 percent of the U.S. coal fleet that existed in 2010 has retired or announced plans to retire by 2030.
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Coal provided 50% or more of the electricity in 8 states, more than 30% in 17 states.
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Between 2022 and 2030, 86,000 MW of coal are announced to retire.
0 M Tons
Over 500 million tons of coal were consumed for electricity production last year.
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The U.S. electric sector has reduced carbon emissions by 33 percent since 2005.

* EIA Electric Data Browser
** EIA, U.S. Coal Reserves