Coal remains competitive for power generation in the central United States ›

In the first four months of 2026, electricity, natural gas, and coal prices suggested continued favorable economics for coal generation in MISO. The dark spread of coal, the difference between the fuel costs for coal-fired generation and the wholesale electricity price, in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region outpaced a similar measure of revenue relative to fuel costs for natural gas-fired generators known as the spark spread. More ›

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on data from S&P Global Market Intelligence