Around the world, electricity is produced largely from fossil fuels, and coal often is the predominant fuel choice. In North America, Australia, and parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, coal-based power plants supply more than half of the electricity consumed.

Coal-based power plants are typically operated in “baseload” mode, which means they often run continuously for weeks and months at a time. Because of coal’s relatively low fuel cost, the cost of electricity from coal-based power plants is often lower than many other alternatives.

The composition and combustion of coal, however, creates a large amount of emissions and waste products that must be addressed to comply with environmental and health regulations. Coal has the highest carbon intensity of all fossil fuels, resulting in coal-based power plants emitting more than 80% of electric sector CO2 emissions in the United States. Concerns also have been raised over other coal-based air emissions, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur compounds, particulate matter, and hazardous air pollutants. These concerns typically require the installation of emission control equipment at most coal-based power plants.

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