The use of natural gas to fuel US power plants climbed by nearly 40% in March from a year ago, from 503.9 Bcf to 703.5 Bcf, the US Energy Information Administration said Wednesday in its monthly electricity update.
The increase in natural gas use came at coal's expense as coal use fell by more than 20% from a year ago, from 72.3 million tons to 57.6 million tons.
Meanwhile, average natural gas prices at the Henry Hub in Louisiana, the pricing point for gas futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange, dropped for the eighth straight month, the report said.
Total U.S. power generation decreased by 2.9% from a year ago to 309.7 million MWh, the department said.
