Coal expected to remain “dominant fuel” through 2035
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week released its Annual Energy Outlook 2011. The agency expects coal will continue to be the “dominant fuel” used to generate electricity in the United States through 2035, according to new projections released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — the statistical arm of the Energy Department. Though EIA predicts that no new coal plants will be built between now and 2035 — with the exception of those that are under construction or are built as a result of incentives for low-emissions coal — coal will dominate the country’s energy portfolio. The reason? The United States will continue to rely on existing coal-fired power plants to produce its electricity.
Coal will continue to be the “dominant fuel” used to generate electricity in the United States through 2035, according to new projections released Thursday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — the statistical arm of the Energy Department.
Though EIA predicts that no new coal plants will be built between now and 2035 — with the exception of those that are under construction or are built as a result of incentives for low-emissions coal — coal will dominate the country’s energy portfolio. The reason? The United States will continue to rely on existing coal-fired power plants to produce its electricity.
The EIA expects total U.S. coal consumption to increase from 19.7 quadrillion Btu in 2009 to 25.2 quadrillion Btu in 2035. Coal consumption for electricity generation increases gradually throughout the projected period from using existing plants more intensively and from the few new plants already under construction.