The provided tables illustrate the net electricity generation and the corresponding number of power plants operating in the United States for the years 2005 and 2015.
Overall, it is evident that there were significant shifts in energy production and the establishment of power plants over the decade.
In 2005, coal was the predominant source of electricity generation, yielding 2,012,873 thousand megawatt hours, but this figure declined notably to 1,352,398 thousand megawatt hours by 2015. Conversely, natural gas experienced substantial growth, with generation increasing from 760,960 thousand megawatt hours in 2005 to 1,333,482 thousand megawatt hours in 2015. Nuclear power generation exhibited a slight increase, rising from 781,986 thousand megawatt hours to 797,178 thousand megawatt hours, while conventional hydroelectric generation saw a marginal decrease from 270,321 thousand megawatt hours to 249,080 thousand megawatt hours. Petroleum generation, however, witnessed a drastic decline from 122,225 to 28,249 thousand megawatt hours during the same period.
The number of power plants operating in the coal sector decreased from 619 to 427 between 2005 and 2015. The petroleum sector similarly saw a reduction, with power plants decreasing from 1,133 to 1,082. In contrast, natural gas facilities increased, with numbers rising from 1,664 to 1,779. Meanwhile, nuclear power plants decreased slightly from 66 to 62, while the count of conventional hydroelectric plants experienced a modest rise, from 1,422 to 1,440. This data reflects a trend towards a reduction in reliance on coal and petroleum, while favoring natural gas and maintaining a stable number of conventional hydroelectric facilities.