S&P Global Market Intelligence ($):



Natural gas and renewables combined to fuel more than half of U.S. power generation in April. Coal’s share of generation, which saw declines in February and March, dipped to 24%.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” released June 25, utility-scale generation net of hydroelectric pumped storage increased 2.9% year over year in April to 302.6 million MWh.

Over the same period, gas-fired generation climbed 16.0% to 100.0 million MWh, accounting for 33.0% of the net total. Meanwhile, coal-fired generation declined 9.9% versus the prior-year period to 73.5 million MWh, to account for 24.3% of the nation’s electricity.

Renewable output climbed 0.5% year over year to 66.6 million MWh as growth among renewable resources was mixed.

Year-to-date through April, utility-scale generation climbed 4.5% to 1.30 billion MWh, with coal supplying 27.2% of the nation’s power and natural gas at a 31.4% share. So far, renewable generation has supplied 19.5% of the nation’s power, compared with 19.8% a year earlier.

Over the same period, coal-fired generation declined 4.9% year over year to 354.9 million MWh, while gas-fired generation climbed 16.0% to 409.8 million MWh. Meanwhile, renewable generation grew 2.9% to 254.2 million MWh.

More ($): Natural gas, renewables combined for 55% of US power generation in April