US power emissions rose 4 percent in 2025 as coal came back

EIA data shows power-sector CO2 up 4% in 2025, driven by a 13% jump in coal generation even as solar grew sharply.

US power sector emissions rose 4% in 2025, equal to 58 million metric tons, according to an annual assessment the Energy Information Administration published this week. Total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose about 2%, roughly 115 million metric tons. The EIA has tracked this data since 2010.

The driver was fuel mix. Coal-fired generation rose 13% while natural gas-fired power fell 4%. Renewables grew — solar up 34%, wind up 3% — but nuclear and other renewables were essentially flat, not enough to offset the return to coal. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told a coal industry event that many items on the sector's wish list were done.

This is a setback for the affordability and cleanliness of power. Coal is both carbon-heavy and, over time, an expensive way to generate electricity as its plants age. A year of rising emissions reverses the direction the sector had been moving and signals policy tailwinds for the highest-emitting source rather than the cheapest new capacity.

The report sits among other signals in the same roundup: global nuclear M&A topped $7 billion in the first half of 2026, double the prior year across 44 deals, per data attributed to White \u0026 Case; and startup Electra is investing $850 million in an Ohio factory for hybrid-electric planes, though its aircraft has not yet flown. Watch whether 2026 continues the coal rebound or the renewable surge reasserts itself.

Source: Heatmap