Electric Utilities Waste Management Trend
The following graph shows the 10-year trend in quantities of TRI chemical waste that electric utility facilities managed, primarily through treatment or release. For more details on quantities released, toggle to the “Releases Only” graph.
From 2014 to 2023:
- Waste managed from electric utilities: 941 million pounds decrease (-53%), driven by reduced releases and treatment.
- The reduction in waste managed has aligned with the reduction in electricity generation by electric utilities that combust coal or oil as shown in the “Releases Only” chart.
- More than half of the sector’s waste managed annually consists of sulfuric acid aerosols and hydrochloric acid aerosols, over 90% of which were treated.
In 2023:
- Approximately three-quarters of the sector’s waste was treated, while about one-quarter was released into the environment. Facilities in this sector most commonly reported using scrubbers and/or electrostatic precipitators to treat their gaseous waste streams.
The following graph shows the annual quantities of TRI chemicals released by electric utilities.
From 2014 to 2023:
- Releases from electric utilities: 333 million pound decrease (-63%). This decrease was driven by a 138 million pound (-74%) decrease in air releases and a 153 million pound (-58%) decrease in on-site land disposal. Surface water discharges and off-site disposal also decreased, but to a lesser extent.
- Only facilities that combust coal or oil to generate electricity are covered under TRI reporting requirements. Net electricity generation from these fuels decreased by 56% (as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration).
- Data from the Energy Information Administration indicate that the mix of energy sources for U.S. electricity generation has changed over time. Natural gas and renewable energy sources account for an increasing share of U.S. electricity generation, while coal-fired electricity generation has declined. Use of oil for electric power generation continues to contribute a small percentage of total U.S. electricity generation.
- Releases from TRI-reporting electric utilities have decreased in line with decreasing U.S. electricity generation from coal and oil.
From 2022 to 2023:
- Releases from electric utilities: 49 million pound decrease (-20%), driven by decreased air releases of sulfuric acid and decreased off-site disposal of metals.
Pollution Prevention in the Electric Utilities Sector
Of the 388 facilities in the electric utilities sector that reported to TRI for 2023, 19 initiated pollution prevention activities to reduce their generation of wastes containing TRI chemicals. For example, one facility reported that they increased the combustion efficiency of their gas turbines, and another facility reported that they are experimenting with biomass alternatives to the fuels currently combusted.
To find examples of electric utilities’ pollution prevention activities and the pollution prevention barriers they face, visit TRI’s P2 Search Tool.
EPA's Smart Sectors Program is partnering with this sector to develop sensible approaches to industrial operations that better protect the environment and public health.
This page was published in August 2025 and uses the 2023 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2024.