SO₂ emissions from electric utilities in the U.S. 1970-2022
Electric utilities in the United States emitted approximately 920,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from fuel combustion in 2022 - a decrease of eight percent from the previous year. This accounted for almost 50 percent of SO₂ emissions in the U.S. in 2022 (excluding wildfires). SO₂ emissions from electric utilities have fallen by more than 90 percent since 1990, primarily due to the reduced generation of electricity from coal-fired power plants.
