- Energy & Environmental Services›
- Electricity›
Natural gas vis-a-vis coal prices 1980-2018
Natural gas vis-a-vis coal prices 1980-2018
Cost of coal and natural gas for electric generation in the U.S. from 1980 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)*
by T. Wang,
last edited
Aug 9, 2019
In the last couple decades, the price of natural gas used for electricity generation has increased slightly to 3.55 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units (Btu) in 2018. The price of coal was about 2.06 U.S. dollars per million Btu. The cost of using some fossil fuels to generate electricity has been recently found to be more expensive than renewable energy. Natural gas is cheapest in regions like the Coastal Plain, where natural gas production is high.
Shift Away from Conventional Energy Sources
Although renewable technologies were once thought to be very expensive, the rapid advancement of these technologies have quickly rendered the cost of energy generation at a level on par to conventional fossil fuels. The aging coal fleet is a prime example of the increasing necessity to switch to carbon neutral technologies. Older coal plants are dealing with increasing maintenance costs as well as environmental regulations forcing the installation of pollution controls. Demand for natural gas is also impacting coal demand. Unlike wind and solar resources, natural gas resources seem to be sensitive to carbon prices.
Cost of coal and natural gas for electric generation in the U.S. from 1980 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)*
Loading statistic...
| Natural Gas** | Coal | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.55 | 2.06 |
| 2017 | 3.37 | 2.06 |
| 2016 | 2.87 | 2.11 |
| 2015 | 3.23 | 2.22 |
| 2014 | 5 | 2.37 |
| 2013 | 4.33 | 2.34 |
| 2012 | 3.42 | 2.38 |
| 2011 | 4.72 | 2.39 |
| 2010 | 5.09 | 2.27 |
| 2005 | 8.21 | 1.54 |
| 2000 | 4.3 | 1.2 |
| 1995 | 1.98 | 1.32 |
| 1990 | 2.32 | 1.45 |
| 1985 | 3.44 | 1.65 |
| 1980 | 2.2 | 1.35 |
| Natural Gas** | Coal | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.55 | 2.06 |
| 2017 | 3.37 | 2.06 |
| 2016 | 2.87 | 2.11 |
| 2015 | 3.23 | 2.22 |
| 2014 | 5 | 2.37 |
| 2013 | 4.33 | 2.34 |
| 2012 | 3.42 | 2.38 |
| 2011 | 4.72 | 2.39 |
| 2010 | 5.09 | 2.27 |
| 2005 | 8.21 | 1.54 |
| 2000 | 4.3 | 1.2 |
| 1995 | 1.98 | 1.32 |
| 1990 | 2.32 | 1.45 |
| 1985 | 3.44 | 1.65 |
| 1980 | 2.2 | 1.35 |
© Statista 2019
About this statistic
Show source
Download
Settings
Share
Download started
Please be patient - this may take a moment
Please be patient - this may take a moment
Description
Source
More information
by T. Wang,
last edited
Aug 9, 2019
In the last couple decades, the price of natural gas used for electricity generation has increased slightly to 3.55 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units (Btu) in 2018. The price of coal was about 2.06 U.S. dollars per million Btu. The cost of using some fossil fuels to generate electricity has been recently found to be more expensive than renewable energy. Natural gas is cheapest in regions like the Coastal Plain, where natural gas production is high.
Shift Away from Conventional Energy Sources
Although renewable technologies were once thought to be very expensive, the rapid advancement of these technologies have quickly rendered the cost of energy generation at a level on par to conventional fossil fuels. The aging coal fleet is a prime example of the increasing necessity to switch to carbon neutral technologies. Older coal plants are dealing with increasing maintenance costs as well as environmental regulations forcing the installation of pollution controls. Demand for natural gas is also impacting coal demand. Unlike wind and solar resources, natural gas resources seem to be sensitive to carbon prices.
- Show sources information
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- March 2019
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1980 to 2018
- Supplementary notes
-
* Including taxes; prices are not adjusted for inflation Through 2001, data are for electric utilities only. Beginning in 2002, data also include independent power producers, and electric generating plants in the commercial and industrial sectors. Beginning in 2013, data cover all regulated generating plants, and plants whose total fossil-fueled nameplate generating capacity is 50 megawatts of more for coal, and 200 megawatts or more for natural gas.
** Includes a small amount of supplemental gaseous fuels. Data through 2000 also include a small amount of blast furnace gas and other gases derived from fossil fuels.
Receipts are purchases of fuel.
Source
- Show sources information
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- March 2019
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1980 to 2018
- Supplementary notes
-
* Including taxes; prices are not adjusted for inflation Through 2001, data are for electric utilities only. Beginning in 2002, data also include independent power producers, and electric generating plants in the commercial and industrial sectors. Beginning in 2013, data cover all regulated generating plants, and plants whose total fossil-fueled nameplate generating capacity is 50 megawatts of more for coal, and 200 megawatts or more for natural gas.
** Includes a small amount of supplemental gaseous fuels. Data through 2000 also include a small amount of blast furnace gas and other gases derived from fossil fuels.
Receipts are purchases of fuel.
Other statistics on the topic
U.S. Natural Gas Energy
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Basic Account
Get to know the platform
You only have access to basic statistics.
Premium Account
Your perfect start with Statista
- Instant access to 1m statistics
- Download in XLS, PDF & PNG format
- Detailed references
$49 / Month *
Corporate Account
Full access
Corporate solution including all features.
* All products require an annual contract.
Prices do not include sales tax.
Prices do not include sales tax.
Leading companies trust Statista:
Related Studies: Available to Download in PDF or PPTX Format
All Information
in one Presentation
Energy consumption in the United States
- 68 page/s
- English
- pptx
- Detailed references
Everything On "Energy consumption in the United States" in One Document: Edited and Divided into Handy Chapters. Including Detailed References.
Other Reports & Dossiers
I think of Statista as Google for researchers. Statista provides you with the information you search for right away.Dr. Horst Stipp
EVP, Research & Innovation, Advertising Research Foundation
Statistics on "Coal energy industry in the U.S."
- Overview
The most important statistics
- Capacity factor of coal power plants in the U.S. from 2013 to 2018U.S. capacity factor of coal power plants 2013-2018
- Total coal-mining employment in the U.S. from 2009 to 2017, by mine typeCoal-mining employment in the U.S. 2009-2017
- Leading coal mines in the United States in 2017, by production (in million short tons)Coal mining: leading mines in the U.S. by production 2017
- Leading coal producers in the United States in 2017, by production (in 1,000 short tons)Leading coal producers in the U.S. 2017
- Coal production in the U.S. in 2017, by key state (in 1,000 short tons)U.S. production of coal by leading state 2017
- Coal energy consumption
The most important statistics
- Consumption of coal in the U.S. from 2006 to 2018 (in million short tons)U.S. coal consumption 2006-2018
- Leading U.S. states in energy consumption from coal in 2017 (in trillion Btu)U.S. coal consumption by major state 2017
- Primary energy consumption in the U.S. from 2010 to 2018, by fuel (in million metric tons of oil equivalent)U.S. - primary energy consumption by fuel 2010-2018
- Coal energy primary consumption in the U.S. from 1990 to 2018, by sector (in trillion British thermal units)*Coal energy primary consumption in the United States by sector 1990-2018
- U.S. energy consumption from coal, nuclear sources, natural gas and petroleum, between 2000 and 2018 (in quadrillion British thermal units)U.S. energy consumption from selected sources 2000-2018
- Residential sector energy consumption from coal, natural gas, and petroleum in the U.S. from 1975 to 2018 (in trillion British thermal units)U.S. residential sector energy consumption - fossil fuels 1975-2018
- Coal electricity generation
The most important statistics
- How much electricity is generated from a unit of coal, natural gas and oil in the U.S.? (in kilowatt hours)Electricity generated per unit of fuel used: coal, natural gas, oil
- Electricity generation from coal in the United States from 2008 to 2018 (in million megawatt hours)*U.S. coal electricity generation 2008-2018
- Total U.S. electricity net generation from 1990 to 2018, by fuel (in billion kilowatt hours)*Electricity generation by fuel in the United States 1990-2018
- Projected coal power generation in the U.S. from 2017 to 2050 (in billion kilowatt hours)*U.S. coal power generation forecast 2017-2050
- Costs
The most important statistics
- Average costs of fossil fuels for the U.S. electric power industry from 2005 to 2017 (in U.S. dollars per million Btu)Average costs of fossil fuels for U.S. electricity generation 2017
- Cost of coal and natural gas for electric generation in the U.S. from 1980 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)*Natural gas vis-a-vis coal prices 1980-2018
- Average cost of coal for the electric power industry in the U.S. from 2005 to 2017 (in U.S. dollars per ton)U.S. cost of coal for electricity generation 2005-2017
- Thermal coal prices from 2013 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per metric ton)*Thermal coal prices 2013-2018
- Estimated U.S. coal powered generation fuel costs from 2012 to 2019 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)U.S. price estimates - coal energy 2012-2019
- Average coal sales price in U.S. states with the highest coal production in 2017 (in U.S. dollars per short ton)Sales prices of coal in U.S. states with highest production 2017
Discover Statista
Need help with using Statista for your research?
Tutorials and first steps
Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
- U.S. forecast of prices for natural gas and coal 2016-2050
- U.S. coal resources and reserves 2015
- Fuel resources in U.S. India and China
- Canada: manufacturing sector coal consumption 2010-2014
- Coal energy consumption - leading U.S. states
- World coal-based energy generation
- Natural gas - North American consumption in oil equivalent
- Natural gas consumption in Canada – in cubic meters
- China - natural gas consumption 1998-2018
- Yukon's natural gas power generation
- Share of natural gas in total energy consumption in China 2007-2017
- Coal import volume to France 1990-2015
- Coal production in France 1990-2014
- France - coal production (in oil equivalent) 1998-2013
- U.S. - states with the lowest energy consumption 2015
- Volume of natural gas output in the GCC 2015 by country
- G7 countries: import value of natural and manufactured gas to the UK 2010-2014
- Coal - U.S. exports: forecast
- Coal rents in Mongolia 2006-2016
- U.S. natural gas demand by end use 2008-2018
Studies
- Natural gas energy in the U.S.
- Global natural gas industry
- Coal energy industry in the U.S.
- Coal
- Energy prices worldwide
- Energy consumption in the United States
- Global primary energy
- Energy sector in New Zealand
- Energy supply switching in the United Kingdom (UK)
- Duke Energy
- Renewable energy sources in the United States
- Coal industry in the United Kingdom
- Japan's energy sector
- Renewable energy sources in Denmark
- Taiwan's renewable energy
Statistics on "Coal energy industry in the U.S."
- Capacity factor of coal power plants in the U.S. from 2013 to 2018
- Total coal-mining employment in the U.S. from 2009 to 2017, by mine type
- Leading coal mines in the United States in 2017, by production (in million short tons)
- Leading coal producers in the United States in 2017, by production (in 1,000 short tons)
- Coal production in the U.S. in 2017, by key state (in 1,000 short tons)
- Consumption of coal in the U.S. from 2006 to 2018 (in million short tons)
- Leading U.S. states in energy consumption from coal in 2017 (in trillion Btu)
- Primary energy consumption in the U.S. from 2010 to 2018, by fuel (in million metric tons of oil equivalent)
- Coal energy primary consumption in the U.S. from 1990 to 2018, by sector (in trillion British thermal units)*
- U.S. energy consumption from coal, nuclear sources, natural gas and petroleum, between 2000 and 2018 (in quadrillion British thermal units)
- Residential sector energy consumption from coal, natural gas, and petroleum in the U.S. from 1975 to 2018 (in trillion British thermal units)
- How much electricity is generated from a unit of coal, natural gas and oil in the U.S.? (in kilowatt hours)
- Electricity generation from coal in the United States from 2008 to 2018 (in million megawatt hours)*
- Total U.S. electricity net generation from 1990 to 2018, by fuel (in billion kilowatt hours)*
- Projected coal power generation in the U.S. from 2017 to 2050 (in billion kilowatt hours)*
- Average costs of fossil fuels for the U.S. electric power industry from 2005 to 2017 (in U.S. dollars per million Btu)
- Cost of coal and natural gas for electric generation in the U.S. from 1980 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)*
- Average cost of coal for the electric power industry in the U.S. from 2005 to 2017 (in U.S. dollars per ton)
- Thermal coal prices from 2013 to 2018 (in U.S. dollars per metric ton)*
- Estimated U.S. coal powered generation fuel costs from 2012 to 2019 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)
- Average coal sales price in U.S. states with the highest coal production in 2017 (in U.S. dollars per short ton)
- Projection of coal and natural gas prices from 2016 to 2050 (in U.S. dollars per million British thermal units)*
- Coal resources and reserves in the U.S. in 2015, by type (in million short tons)*
- Population of U.S., India and China compared with fuel resources available (in percent)
- Coal energy consumption of the manufacturing sector in Canada from 2010 to 2014 (in terajoules)
- U.S. states where coal is the main energy source (as of November 2011)
- World coal-based energy generation - planned or under construction (in gigawatts)
- Natural gas consumption in North America from 1998 to 2011 (in million metric tons oil equivalent)
- Natural gas consumption in Canada from 1998 to 2011 (in billion cubic meters)
- Natural gas consumption in China from 1998 to 2018 (in billion cubic meters)
- Natural gas power generation in Yukon from 2005 to 2035 (in gigawatt hours)
- Share of natural gas in total energy consumption in China from 2007 to 2017
- Import volume of coal to France from 1990 to 2015 (in million tons)
- Coal production in France 1990 to 2014 (in million metric tons)
- Coal production in France 1998 to 2013 (in million metric tons oil equivalent)
- Leading U.S. states with the lowest energy consumption in 2015 (in trillion British thermal units)
- Volume of natural gas output in the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2015, by country (in billion cubic meters)
- Value of imports of natural and manufactured gas from the G7 countries to the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2014 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)
- The EIA forecast for U.S. coal exports until 2030 (by amount of energy in quadrillion BTU)
- Coal rents in Mongolia from 2006 to 2016 (percentage of GDP)
- Demand for natural gas in the U.S. from 2008 to 2018, by end use (in billion cubic feet per day)
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Related topics
About Statista
Statista offers dossiers and reports on over 170 industries. With Statista you are always able to make informed decisions and boost your work efficiency.
Internet & Telecommunications
- Social Media
- E-Commerce
- Online Video & Entertainment
- Advertising & Marketing
Consumer Goods & FMCG
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Cleaning Products
- Cosmetics & Personal Care
- Food & Nutrition
Retail & Trade
- Health & Hygiene
- International Trade
- Shopping Behavior
- Sports & Leisure
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
- Business Travel
- Leisure Travel
- Accomodation
- Restaurants
Society
- Demographics
- Economy
- Education & Science
- Politics & Government
Transportation & Logistics
- Aviation
- Rail Transport
- Vehicles & Road Traffic
- Water Transport
Please log in to access our additional functions
Register in seconds and access exclusive features.
Basic Account
|
Instant Access
Premium Account
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
Our services
Click the question mark for further information | Free |
$49 per month* | |
| Basic statistics | |||
| Premium statistics | |||
|
Graph download
| |||
| Download PDF | |||
|
Excel download
| |||
| Register | Purchase now | ||
*Duration: 12 months, billed annually, single license
Yes, let me download!
...and make my research life easier.
Exclusive Corporate feature
This feature is limited to our corporate solutions.
Please contact us to get started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, studies and international data.
Corporate Account
We use cookies to personalize contents and ads, offer social media features, and analyze access to our website. In your browser settings you can configure or disable this, respectively, and can delete any already placed cookies. For details, please see your browser’s Help section (by pressing F1). Please see our privacy statement for details about how we use data.