Reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. National average CO₂ rate is roughly 800 lb/MWh; coal averages ~2,200 lb/MWh and natural gas combined-cycle ~900 lb/MWh.
Grid context
NERC Region
NPCC
Balancing Authority
Iso New England Inc.
What this means
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.