How much CO2 do U.S. power plants emit?

U.S. power plants emitted 1,607.7 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2023 while generating 4,191.0 TWh, an average of 767 lb/MWh.

Which state has the most carbon-intensive electricity?

West Virginia had the highest CO2 output emission rate in 2023, 1,954 lb/MWh. Vermont had the lowest, 43 lb/MWh.

What is a CO2 output emission rate?

It is pounds of carbon dioxide emitted per megawatt-hour of electricity generated by plants in the area. It does not count power imported from other states.

Power Plant CO2 Emissions

Carbon dioxide from electricity generation in 2023, from the EPA Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID2023).

CO2 emitted, 2023: 1,607.7 million tons
Emission rate: 767 lb/MWh
Net generation: 4,191.0 TWh
Carbon-free share: 39.7%; Nuclear and renewables

U.S. generation by fuel, 2023

Net generation, megawatt-hours

Natural gas1,809.2 TWh 43.2%
Nuclear774.9 TWh 18.5%
Coal674.7 TWh 16.1%
Wind420.0 TWh 10.0%
Hydroelectric239.0 TWh 5.7%
Solar165.1 TWh 3.9%
Biomass47.1 TWh 1.1%
Petroleum23.0 TWh 0.5%
Other21.7 TWh 0.5%
Geothermal16.4 TWh 0.4%

Emissions by state

Highest emission rate first

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

#	State	CO2 rate	CO2 emitted	Generation	Carbon-free
1	West Virginia	1,954 lb/MWh	51.1 million tons	52.3 TWh	6.9%
2	Wyoming	1,820 lb/MWh	39.3 million tons	43.2 TWh	22.5%
3	Kentucky	1,735 lb/MWh	54.1 million tons	62.4 TWh	7.3%
4	Puerto Rico	1,543 lb/MWh	13.5 million tons	17.5 TWh	2.3%
5	Indiana	1,457 lb/MWh	65.6 million tons	90.0 TWh	12.7%
6	Missouri	1,444 lb/MWh	48.2 million tons	66.7 TWh	25.4%
7	Utah	1,413 lb/MWh	23.2 million tons	32.8 TWh	18.1%
8	Hawaii	1,385 lb/MWh	6.3 million tons	9.2 TWh	19.9%
9	North Dakota	1,288 lb/MWh	27.1 million tons	42.1 TWh	39.4%
10	Wisconsin	1,157 lb/MWh	36.2 million tons	62.5 TWh	25.0%
11	Colorado	1,085 lb/MWh	31.2 million tons	57.5 TWh	37.3%
12	Ohio	1,064 lb/MWh	70.8 million tons	133.1 TWh	15.9%
13	Montana	1,056 lb/MWh	14.2 million tons	26.9 TWh	50.6%
14	Nebraska	1,018 lb/MWh	20.1 million tons	39.4 TWh	50.9%
15	Arkansas	993 lb/MWh	31.4 million tons	63.2 TWh	31.4%
16	Rhode Island	839 lb/MWh	4.4 million tons	10.4 TWh	8.1%
17	Mississippi	826 lb/MWh	30.1 million tons	72.9 TWh	18.8%
18	Massachusetts	822 lb/MWh	8.1 million tons	19.7 TWh	19.6%
19	Alaska	810 lb/MWh	2.7 million tons	6.7 TWh	28.8%
20	Michigan	793 lb/MWh	47.8 million tons	120.6 TWh	33.3%
21	Florida	787 lb/MWh	101.5 million tons	258.1 TWh	18.3%
22	New Mexico	770 lb/MWh	15.1 million tons	39.3 TWh	45.0%
23	Texas	768 lb/MWh	209.0 million tons	544.0 TWh	34.8%
24	Louisiana	761 lb/MWh	37.1 million tons	97.4 TWh	15.6%
25	Minnesota	748 lb/MWh	21.4 million tons	57.3 TWh	52.9%
26	Kansas	728 lb/MWh	21.3 million tons	58.5 TWh	64.6%
27	Georgia	714 lb/MWh	46.1 million tons	129.2 TWh	40.3%
28	Alabama	711 lb/MWh	49.3 million tons	138.6 TWh	42.1%
29	Delaware	703 lb/MWh	1.7 million tons	4.8 TWh	4.7%
30	Arizona	687 lb/MWh	38.4 million tons	111.8 TWh	42.0%
31	Tennessee	657 lb/MWh	25.6 million tons	77.8 TWh	60.3%
32	Oklahoma	647 lb/MWh	28.8 million tons	88.9 TWh	43.6%
33	Pennsylvania	646 lb/MWh	76.2 million tons	235.9 TWh	34.9%
34	Nevada	642 lb/MWh	13.5 million tons	42.2 TWh	36.8%
35	Iowa	630 lb/MWh	22.0 million tons	69.8 TWh	61.7%
36	North Carolina	624 lb/MWh	39.5 million tons	126.5 TWh	47.6%
37	South Carolina	557 lb/MWh	28.1 million tons	100.9 TWh	61.3%
38	Connecticut	538 lb/MWh	10.9 million tons	40.7 TWh	37.3%
39	Virginia	537 lb/MWh	24.4 million tons	91.0 TWh	42.3%
40	Maryland	520 lb/MWh	9.4 million tons	36.0 TWh	51.6%
41	Illinois	472 lb/MWh	41.9 million tons	177.7 TWh	68.4%
42	New Jersey	468 lb/MWh	15.0 million tons	64.2 TWh	47.6%
43	New York	465 lb/MWh	28.7 million tons	123.5 TWh	52.0%
44	District of Columbia	394 lb/MWh	33,867 tons	172 GWh	48.1%
45	California	393 lb/MWh	42.5 million tons	216.1 TWh	55.8%
46	Oregon	364 lb/MWh	11.2 million tons	61.7 TWh	62.1%
47	South Dakota	334 lb/MWh	2.9 million tons	17.4 TWh	78.7%
48	Idaho	313 lb/MWh	2.8 million tons	17.8 TWh	67.7%
49	Maine	312 lb/MWh	2.0 million tons	12.5 TWh	65.1%
50	New Hampshire	273 lb/MWh	2.3 million tons	16.8 TWh	73.2%
51	Washington	265 lb/MWh	13.6 million tons	103.0 TWh	76.8%
52	Vermont	43 lb/MWh	53,300 tons	2.5 TWh	99.7%

Show all 52Show fewer

Largest emitting power plants

Annual CO2, 2023

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

#	Plant	Fuel	CO2	Rate
1	James H Miller JrAlabama	Coal	18.1 million tons	2,286 lb/MWh
2	LabadieMissouri	Coal	16.8 million tons	2,133 lb/MWh
3	Gavin Power, LLCOhio	Coal	14.7 million tons	2,173 lb/MWh
4	Martin LakeTexas	Coal	14.0 million tons	2,472 lb/MWh
5	Oak Grove (TX)Texas	Coal	13.4 million tons	2,237 lb/MWh
6	Monroe (MI)Michigan	Coal	12.5 million tons	2,174 lb/MWh
7	Prairie State Generating StationIllinois	Coal	12.4 million tons	1,992 lb/MWh
8	FirstEnergy Harrison Power StationWest Virginia	Coal	12.2 million tons	2,184 lb/MWh
9	Laramie River StationWyoming	Coal	12.0 million tons	2,537 lb/MWh
10	ColstripMontana	Coal	12.0 million tons	2,217 lb/MWh
11	BowenGeorgia	Coal	11.2 million tons	2,185 lb/MWh
12	W A ParishTexas	Coal	10.9 million tons	2,032 lb/MWh
13	GhentKentucky	Coal	10.6 million tons	2,166 lb/MWh
14	Cumberland (TN)Tennessee	Coal	10.3 million tons	2,395 lb/MWh
15	CardinalOhio	Coal	10.1 million tons	2,091 lb/MWh
16	Jim BridgerWyoming	Natural gas	9.8 million tons	2,359 lb/MWh
17	John E AmosWest Virginia	Coal	9.6 million tons	2,241 lb/MWh
18	CrossSouth Carolina	Coal	9.3 million tons	2,203 lb/MWh
19	Fayette Power ProjectTexas	Coal	9.2 million tons	2,419 lb/MWh
20	Crystal RiverFlorida	Natural gas	9.2 million tons	1,144 lb/MWh
21	GibsonIndiana	Coal	9.0 million tons	2,269 lb/MWh
22	SchererGeorgia	Coal	8.3 million tons	2,577 lb/MWh
23	Mill Creek (KY)Kentucky	Coal	7.9 million tons	2,092 lb/MWh
24	Gerald GentlemanNebraska	Coal	7.9 million tons	2,054 lb/MWh
25	West County Energy CenterFlorida	Natural gas	7.9 million tons	788 lb/MWh

Tons are short tons (2,000 pounds). eGRID data is published about two years after the data year. Emissions from plants that burn biomass include biogenic CO2 as reported by EPA.

Frequently asked questions

How much CO2 do U.S. power plants emit?: U.S. power plants emitted 1,607.7 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2023 while generating 4,191.0 TWh, an average of 767 lb/MWh.
Which state has the most carbon-intensive electricity?: West Virginia had the highest CO2 output emission rate in 2023, 1,954 lb/MWh. Vermont had the lowest, 43 lb/MWh.
What is a CO2 output emission rate?: It is pounds of carbon dioxide emitted per megawatt-hour of electricity generated by plants in the area. It does not count power imported from other states.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, eGRID2023 · Data for 2023

Data sources

Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Data for 2023

See something wrong? Request a correction

More energy data

About this data

Prices are averages reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not quotes from a specific station or utility. Your price depends on your provider, rate plan and usage. Power plant, utility and charging station details come from EIA, EPA and the Department of Energy and can lag behind changes on the ground. This site is not affiliated with any of these agencies.

DatenUS is a private website and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. We republish public data from the sources listed on this page. Data can be incomplete, delayed or wrong. Always check the original source before you make a decision.

Our servers read this data automatically from government sources. Errors can come from the source itself or from the way we read, process or display it, and we do not guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current. Verify anything important with the official source.

Report an error Read the full disclaimer