2013 Operating Performance: Coal Comes Back Slightly in 2013

摘要

After three consecutive years of declining generation, coal-fired power plants made a slight comeback in 2013. The 2013 power plant performance report reveals that all Energy Information Agency (EIA)-reporting coal-fired power plants generated nearly 3.5 percent more electricity in 2013 than in 2012. The increase is attributed primarily to higher natural gas prices, which made coal more economic in 2013. Natural gas hit a record low spot price of $1.80 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) at the Henry Hub in 2012, and the average spot price at the Henry Hub that year was $2.77 per mmBtu, according to EIA data. That average jumped 35 percent to $3.73 in 2013, which was enough of an increase to cause some coal-fired plants to move up in the dispatch order. The increase in coal-fired generation had a slight impact on emissions. The CO_2 level in 2013 was 2 percent higher than the 2012 level, according to the EIA.