U.S. power plant operating expenses 2021

Operating expenses for fossil steam power plants run by major U.S. investor-owned electric utilities totaled 35.66 mills per kilowatt hour in 2021. In that same year, figures for hydroelectric power plants amounted to 12.3 mills per kilowatt hour, the cheapest costs among the reported plant types.

Average power plant operating expenses for major investor-owned electric utilities in the United States from 1998 to 2021 (in mills per kilowatt hour)

Characteristic	Fossil steam	Gas turbine and small scale*	Nuclear	Hydroelectric**
2021	35.66	30.18	22.74	12.3
2020	34.86	24.55	21.92	12.71
2019	36.66	28.33	23.73	10.8
2018	35.86	32.43	23.86	10.65
2017	35.41	31.76	24.38	10.29
2016	36.08	30.19	25.36	10.98
2015	37.26	33.24	25.71	13.42
2014	39.04	42.6	26.79	11.9
2013	37.92	37.92	27.29	10.88
2012	37.2	35.67	27.42	11.34
2011	35.09	44.54	24.7	8.88
2010	35.76	48.74	23.98	9.15
2005	27.88	61.1	18.15	6.68
2000	22.32	48.94	15.89	5.74
1999	20.12	37.74	18.35	5.38
1998	20.45	30.79	21.02	4.67

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Release date

November 2022

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

1998 to 2021

Special properties

including operation, maintenance, and fuel expenses

Supplementary notes

* Includes gas turbine, internal combustion, photovoltaic, and wind plants.
** Includes conventional hydro and pumped storage.
Figures are compiled from several editions of the publication.
According to the source, a mill equals to 1/1,000 of the U.S. dollar (equivalent to 1/10 of one cent).
Totals may not equal sum of components because of independent rounding.

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