The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) emissions reported by the power plants sector decreased significantly from 2011 to 2023, from 2,222 million metric tons (MMT) CO₂e in 2011 to 1,471 MMT CO₂e in 2023, a decrease of 33.8%. This overall decrease in emissions resulted from longer-term trends related to changes in the composition of fuels used in electricity generation and an increase in renewable electricity generation. Reported emissions for 2023 decreased by 7.2% from 2022. In comparison, emissions increased by 6.8% between 2020 and 2021. The annual increase in emissions observed in 2021 resulted from the increased demand for electricity generation during 2021 as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the period 2011 to 2023, national net generation of electricity increased by 1.9%, and decreased by 1.2% between 2022 and 2023. [1] This follows a decrease of 2.9% between 2019 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020. Although the national net generation of electricity remained constant from 2011 to 2022, the GHG emissions per unit of electricity generation decreased from 541.9 to 352.2 MT CO₂e per thousand megawatt-hours (MWh), a 35% drop. Several factors contributed to this reduction in emissions per unit of electricity generated, including increased generation from renewable energy sources and from natural gas combustion, and a corresponding decrease in generation from coal. [2] In 2011, 42.3% of U.S. electricity was generated from coal and 24.7% from natural gas; but by 2023 these values had changed significantly, with 16.2% of electricity generated from coal and 43.1% from natural gas. Over the same timeframe, electricity from utility-scale renewable sources increased from 4.7% to 15.6% of total power plant generation. [1] The observed changes in GHG emissions are due to the fact that electricity generated from renewable energy results in no GHG emissions from the power plant sector, and because generation from natural gas—particularly more efficient combined-cycle generators—produces lower GHG emissions per unit of electricity generated than generation from coal. [3]

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[1]     U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Data Browser Table 1.1. Net Generation by Energy Source: Total (All Sectors), 2011- 2023(accessed September 26, 2024) at:  https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/

[2]     Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. April 2024. EPA 430-R-24-004. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2022

[3]   U.S. Department of Energy, Environment Baseline, Volume 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Power Sector. June 2016. Available at: https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Environment Baseline Vol. 1--Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Power Sector.pdf