The latest national statistics through May this year from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed the use of natural gas for power generation growing at about the same pace that coal-fired generation is declining, but the biggest movements are for hydroelectric supplies moving up sharply and nuclear-based power dropping.

Even with this continuing trend, year-to-date at the end of May, coal produced 43.6% of the nation’s electricity; natural gas was next at 21.7% and nuclear power accounted for 19.4%.

For the first five months of this year, coal-fired electricity dropped 4.8% to 706 million MWh; gas-fired generation increased 3.4% to 350 million MWh; and hydroelectric supplies increased 36.2% to 145 million MWh. Nuclear’s output dropped 3.7% to 314 million MWh. Renewables other than hydro overall increased output by 19.1% to reach 82.7 million MWh.

In May costs were up in the 2-3% range compared to a month earlier for each of the fossil fuel choices for power generation. Overall (for coal, oil and gas) the cost averaged about $3.38/MMBtu, which was up 2.7% compared to the previous month of April and 8.3% higher compared to May of last year. When compared with May 2010, gas costs increased this past May, while oil and coal costs decreased.

EIA said the average price paid for natural gas in the generation sector in May this year was $4.86/MMBtu, down 0.6% from the average gas price in April ($4.89). “Receipts of gas in May this year were 683.1 million Mcf, an increase of 8.5%,” the EIA report said. That is also an increase of 3.4% compared with May last year.

Year to date, the price of natural gas decreased 10% while receipts of gas used for power generation were up 4.7%, even with the large chunk of hydroelectric supplies in the Pacific Northwest that have sent gas-fired generation down to zero in some areas this spring and summer (see Daily GPI, June 3).

In separate data running through June this year that EIA also released this month, new power generation was shown to have been added in 36 states, collectively totaling 11,255 MW, and it was principally a combination of gas-, coal- wind-generated power units. The new generation also was concentrated in 10 states where 8,504 MW of the overall additions came online in the first six months.

“Texas, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Missouri each added a single, large coal-fired generator between January and June 2011,” EIA said.

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