The 2020 Benchmarking report is the 16th collaborative effort highlighting environmental performance and progress in the nation’s electric power sector. The Benchmarking series began in 1997 and uses publicly reported data to compare the emissions performance of the 100 largest power producers in the United States. The company rankings are based on 2018 generation and emissions data and aggregate industry trends are presented through 2019.
Data on U.S. power plant generation and air emissions are available to the public through several databases maintained by state and federal agencies. Publicly- and privately-owned electric generating companies are required to report fuel and generation data to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Most power producers are also required to report air pollutant emissions data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These data are reported and recorded at the boiler, generator, or plant level, and must be combined and presented so that company-level comparisons can be made across the industry.
The Benchmarking report facilitates the comparison of emissions performance by combining generation and fuel consumption data compiled by EIA with emissions data on sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and mercury (Hg) compiled by EPA; error checking the data; and presenting emissions information for the nation’s 100 largest power producers in a graphic format that aids in understanding and evaluating the data. The report is intended for a wide audience, including electric industry executives, environmental advocates, financial analysts, investors, journalists, power plant managers, and public policymakers.
Key Findings
The 100 largest power producers in the United States own more than 3,400 power plants and account for more than 80 percent of the sector’s electric generation and reported air emissions. Their fuel mix, emissions, and emission rates vary widely as summarized throughout this report (based on 2018 data).
For the electric sector overall, in 2019, power plant SO2 and NOx emissions were 94 percent and 86 percent lower, respectively, than they were in 1990 when Congress passed major amendments to the Clean Air Act. In 2019, power plant SO2 and NOx emissions were 23 percent and 14 percent lower than they were in 2018.
Power sector CO2 emissions decreased about 8 percent between 2018 and 2019. In 2019, power plant CO2 emissions were 11 percent lower than 1990 levels, and about 30 percent lower than their peak in 2007. Some of the factors driving this longer-term trend include energy efficiency improvements and the displacement of coal by natural gas and renewable energy resources.
Mercury air emissions from power plants (as reported to the TRI database) have decreased 90 percent since 2000. The first-ever federal limits on mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired power plants went into effect in 2015.