Natural gas remains the preferred primary fuel for electric power producers in the U.S., commanding 43% of generating capacity and providing 39% of electricity generation in 2019, more than any other source. It displaced coal-fired power in 2018 as the top generator in terms of capacity largely due to recent additions of efficient combined-cycle facilities, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Technological improvements and efficiency gains in combined-cycle systems have reduced the amount of natural gas needed to produce the same amount of electricity. Combined-cycle generators consume 80% of the natural gas used to generate electric power but provide 85% of total natural gas-fired electricity. These facilities typically operate for extended time periods while combustion turbines and steam turbines are generally used at times of peak load.

With the exception of Vermont and Hawaii, every state has at least one utility-scale natural gas electric power plant. Much of this capacity is combined-cycle technology, but 44% of gas capacity in New York is steam turbines and 67% in Illinois is combustion turbines.

U.S. natural gas consumption achieved a record average 85 billion cubic feet per day in 2019, with 30 billion cubic feet tapped for power generation.

Source: EIA