16 November 2009-- A report from the Energy Information Administration said net power generation fell 1.9 percent in August 2009 compared with the same month a year earlier. This extended to 13 consecutive months the decline in net generation.
Coal-fired generation saw a 9.4 percent drop in August 2009 compared with August 2008, equal to 17,133 MWh. This was the largest absolute fuel-specific decline in the time period. Lower coal-fired production in West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio accounted for more than half of the decline in coal-fired generation.
Natural gas-fired plants saw a 9.3 percent increase in generation in August over the same month in 2008. Gas-fired generation was the largest absolute fuel-specific increase between August 2008 and August 2009. Increases in Pennsylvania, Florida, Alabama, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and Arkansas accounted for almost 60 percent of the national increase in gas-fired generation.
Wind generation saw an increase of 60.7 percent in August 2009 compared with the same month a year earlier. Higher production in Texas and Iowa accounted for more than half of the increase. Conventional hydroelectric generation was down more than 3 percent in August 2009 compared with August 2008. Nuclear generation was down 0.5 percent.
Total year-to-date net electricity generation across all fuels was down 4.9 percent from 2008 levels. Generation attributed to coal-fired plants was down 12.6 percent, while nuclear generation was up 0.7 percent. Natural gas-fired generation was up 2.9 percent and wind generation was up 27 percent.
Coal-fired plants contributed 44.4 percent of the country's electric power year-to-date. Nuclear plants contributed 20.4 percent and natural gas-fired plants contributed 23.2 percent. Conventional hydroelectric power provided 7.1 percent of the total, while other renewables (biomass, geothermal, solar and wind) and other energy sources generated the remaining 3.6 percent.
Total electric power sector coal stocks rose between August 2008 and August 2009 by 52.7 million tons. Stocks of bituminous coal (including coal synfuel) increased by 68.2 percent, or 36.7 million tons between August 2008 and August 2009 (from 53.8 to 90.5 million tons). Subbituminous coal stocks grew by 14.6 million tons between August 2008 and August 2009 (from 83.2 to 97.8 million tons). August 2009 was the 13th month in a row that coal stocks were higher than the same month in the prior year.
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