Coal consumption in the U.S. power sector fell by 4 percent in 2011 and will decline by another 2 percent this year, the Energy Information Administration said in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook on Feb. 7.

EIA said natural gas, nuclear and wind generation will replace the lost coal generation, as overall electricity consumption will grow by less than 1 percent.

Most of the production decline is predicted to come from the Interior and Appalachian regions.

The entire report is available for download here (PDF).

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