The U.S. electric power sector received 428 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2020, the lowest annual level for that sector since we began publishing this data in 2007. U.S. coal shipments were down 22% in 2020 from 2019 levels, driven by lower overall electricity demand due to responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued decline in U.S. coal-fired capacity and generation. More than two-thirds (67%) of the coal that was delivered to the U.S. electric power sector in 2020 was shipped either completely or in part by rail; the remainder was shipped by river barge, truck, or other methods.
