Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to generate electricity with different types of power plants?
EIA has historical data on the average annual operation, maintenance, and fuel costs for existing power plants by major fuel/energy source types in Table 8.4. Average Power Plant Operating Expenses for Major U.S. Investor-Owned Electric Utilities, 2001 through 2011 (Mills per Kilowatthour)1 of the Electric Power Annual.
EIA has projections for electricity generation costs in the Annual Energy Outlook 2013. The most recent available for different types of power plants are Levelized Cost of New Generation Resources in the Annual Energy Outlook 2013, which includes estimated costs in dollars per megawatthour (mWh) based on a 30-year cost recovery period for various types of power plants that begin operation in 2018.
1 A mill is equal to 1/000 of a U.S. dollar, or 1/10 of one cent. Mills per kilowatthour (kWh) equals dollars per mWh. Divide mills per kWh by 10 to convert to cents per kWh.
Learn more:
Electricity Market Module and Renewable Fuels Module of the Assumptions to the Annual Energy Outlook 2013
Electricity Market Module and Renewable Fuels Module of the National Energy Modeling System: An Overview
Electricity Market Module and Renewable Fuels Module of the Model Documentation for Annual Energy Outlook 2012
Updated Capital Cost Estimates for Electricity Generation Plants
Last updated: May 14, 2013
Other FAQs about Electricity
- Can I choose the electricity supplier where I live?
- Can I generate and sell electricity to an electric utility?
- Does EIA have city or county-level energy consumption and price data?
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have data on each power plant in the United States?
- Does EIA have data on peak and hourly electricity demand?
- Does EIA have electricity prices by state?
- Does EIA have information on the service territories of U.S. electric utilities?
- Does EIA have maps or information on the location of electric power plants and transmission lines in the United States?
- Does EIA publish electric utility rate, tariff, and demand charge data?
- How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
- How many and what kind of power plants are there in the United States?
- How many nuclear power plants are in the U.S. and where are they located?
- How many smart meters are installed in the U.S. and who has them?
- How much coal, natural gas, or petroleum is used to generate a kilowatt-hour of electricity?
- How much does it cost to build different types of power plants in the United States?
- How much does it cost to generate electricity with different types of power plants?
- How much electricity does a typical nuclear power plant generate?
- How much electricity does an American home use?
- How much electricity is lost in transmission and distribution in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for cooling in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for lighting in the United States?
- How much energy is consumed in the world by each sector?
- How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are associated with electricity generation?
- How much of world energy consumption and electricity generation is from renewable energy?
- How old are U.S. power plants?
- What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
- What is a capacity factor?
- What is the difference between electricity generation capacity and electricity generation?
- What is the efficiency of different types of power plants?
- What is the outlook for home heating fuel prices this winter?
- What types and amounts of energy are produced in each state?