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Coal's share of US power generation fell to 25% in March, gas increased to 32%

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Coal's share of US power generation fell to 25% in March, gas increased to 32%

Natural gas fueled over 32% of power generation in the U.S. during March, while coal supplied just 25%, continuing a downward trend from February.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest "Electric Power Monthly" released May 24, utility-scale generation net of hydroelectric pumped storage fell 0.1% year over year in March to 320.4 million MWh.

Over the same period, gas-fired generation climbed 9.7% to 103.9 million MWh, accounting for 32.4% of the net total. Meanwhile, coal-fired generation declined 9.8% versus the prior-year period to 80.7 million MWh, to account for 25.2% of the nation's electricity.

Renewable output declined 3.7% year over year to 65.1 million MWh as growth among renewable resources was mixed.

Year-to-date through March, utility-scale generation climbed 5.0% to 1.00 billion MWh, with coal supplying 28.1% of the nation's power and natural gas at a 31.0% share. So far, renewable generation has supplied 18.7% of the nation's power, compared with 19.0% a year earlier.

Over the same period, coal-fired generation declined 3.6% year over year to 281.4 million MWh, while gas-fired generation climbed 15.9% to 309.8 million MWh. Meanwhile, renewable generation grew 3.8% to 187.6 million MWh.

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Power-sector coal stockpiles increased 5.5 million tons during the month, above the 10-year average build of 4.3 million tons. During the prior 10 years, March stockpile fluctuations versus the prior month have ranged from a draw of 3.8 million tons to a build of 13.6 million tons.

The EIA estimates that the March 2018 stockpile level of 126.4 million tons translates to 90 days of burn and 99 days of burn, respectively, for bituminous and sub-bituminous coal, 7.7% and 20.4% above the five-year averages for the month.

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You can access monthly net generation data here.