Natural gas-fired power plants are conquering the USA

Environmentalists may not like it, but the phase-out of coal-fired power plants has led to phenomenal growth in natural gas power plants.

A report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed that natural gas-fired power plants in the U.S. generated more than 7 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity as of August 2, 2024, according to the agency’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, accounting for nearly half of the total electricity generated in the contiguous United States that day.

On August 2, 2024, 7.1 million MWh of natural gas-fired electricity was generated in the United States, 6.8% more than the previous summer’s record set on July 28, 2023. Nine of the ten days with the most U.S. natural gas-fired electricity generation on record Firepower occurred in the summer of 2024; Six of these occurred in August 2024.

Total electricity generation in summer (June-August) 2024 increased by 3% compared to summer 2023. The daily average of natural gas-fired electricity generation in summer also increased by 3% to 5.9 million MWh.

Reasons for increased natural gas-fired power generation in the U.S. included hotter weather, low natural gas prices, the addition of new combined cycle power generation capacity and increased generator capacity factors.

In recent years, the balance of electricity generation sources in the United States – particularly in the summer – has shifted toward more renewables and natural gas and less coal. As power generation capacity from renewable sources increases, natural gas is increasingly being used to offset the intermittent nature of wind and solar power generation. Since 2014, the share of U.S. summer electricity generation from natural gas has increased every year except 2021, rising from 29% in 2014 to 45% in 2024.

Source: EIA