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Coal consumption within the electric power sector in the United States fell to 373.8 million short tons in 2024. In the past decade, there has been a marked decline in the use of coal for electricity generation. Coal consumption peaked between 2005 and 2008, when over one billion short tons were used every year. However, with the promotion of natural gas as a bridge-fuel toward a greener power sector, coal as the dirtiest of fossil fuels has fallen out of favor and natural gas has succeeded coal in becoming the main fuel type used for electricity generation in the U.S.

Coal use by sector

Coal is used primarily by the power sector. An Edison plant built for New York City in 1882 was the first coal-fired electricity plant in the U.S. By the 1950s, coal was considered the leading source of fuel for electricity generation. Declines in coal usage occurred around 2007, amidst the increased availability of renewables and natural gas. Apart from the use of thermal coal for power production, coking coal is an important raw material used for steelmaking, and the industrial sector still consumes around one quadrillion British thermal unit every year.

Coal power use around the world

The U.S. is the third largest consumer of coal in the world, following China and India. China’s consumption exceeds the total of many other countries combined, reaching 92 exajoules compared to U.S.' 7.9 exajoules. Fossil fuels are still a primary source of fuel around the world. U.S. fossil fuel consumption reached some 77.4 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024.