Coal power in the United States

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. Utilities buy more than 90% of the coal consumed in the United States. There were about 200 coal powered units across the United States in 2026. Coal plants have been closing since the 2010s due to cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewables. Due to measures such as scrubbers, air pollution from the plants kills far fewer people nowadays, but 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.