Reported emissions from the power plants sector decreased significantly from 2011 to 2020, from 2,222 million metric tons (MMT) CO₂e in 2011 to 1,495 MMT CO₂e in 2020, a decrease of 32.7%. Reported emissions for 2020 declined by 10.4% from 2019. This decrease in emissions resulted from both decreased demand for electrical generation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and longer-term trends related to the composition of fuels used in electricity generation.

From 2011 through 2020, national net generation of electricity remained fairly consistent with a decrease of 2%, including a 2.9% reduction between 2019 and 2020. [1] However, GHG emissions per unit of electricity generation decreased from 541.9 to 372.9 MT CO₂e per thousand megawatt-hours, a 31% drop. Several factors contributed to this reduction in emissions per unit of electricity generated, including the increased use of renewable energy sources and more electric power generation from natural gas combustion. [2] In 2011, 42.3% of U.S. electricity was generated from coal and 24.7% from natural gas; but by 2020, 19.3% of electricity generation was derived from coal and 40.3% from natural gas. Over the same timeframe, electricity generation derived from renewable sources including hydroelectric and solar increased from 12.5% to 19.8%.[1] Electricity generated from renewable energy results in no greenhouse gas emissions from power plants; and generation from natural gas, particularly in more efficient combined-cycle generators, produces lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of electricity generated than generation from coal. [3]

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[1]     U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 1.1. Net Generation by Energy Source: Total (All Sectors), 2011- June 2021 (accessed September 17, 2021) at: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_1_01

[2]     Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2019. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. April 2021. EPA 430-R-21-005. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2019

[3]   U.S. Department of Energy, Environment Baseline, Volume 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Power Sector. 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