U.S. electric power generators consumed 740 million tons of coal in 2015, fueling about one-third of total electric power generation and accounting for 92% of all coal consumed in the United States.
Nearly 70% of all coal used by power plants to generate electricity was shipped either completely or in part by rail. The rest was transported by waterway, truck, or—for power plants located near a coal mine—by conveyor.
The distribution of coal transit modes varies from year to year.
