News

Coal Flexes as Polar Blast Pushes Demand, Natural Gas Into ‘Price-Inelastic’ Territory

Natural Gas Intelligence · last updated

Natural gas ceded ground in the thermal generation stack during late January’s deep freeze as coal-fired output ramped sharply, even as overall generation surged.

Chart comparing U.S. natural gas and coal power generation with natural gas share of the thermal stack, showing hourly generation trends in gigawatts and gas percentage from 2024 through early 2026.

At A Glance:

  • Coal generation surges 31% during Fern
  • Natural gas still leads at 38% share
  • PJM nears all-time winter peak loads

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