The tide may be turning somewhat for coal and natural gas generation with coal regaining some of the market that it lost in 2012 due to low natural gas prices. Natural gas prices delivered to the electric power sector averaged $3.52 per thousand cubic feet in 2012, 62 percent less than in 2008 when it reached $9.26 per thousand cubic feet. For the first 2 months of 2013, they are higher on average by a slightly more than $1.00 per thousand cubic feet. This allowed coal to increase its share of electric generation to 40 percent for the first 2 months of 2013, compared to 37 percent during the first 2 months of last year, while the natural gas share of the generation market fell from 28 percent to 26 percent during the same time period.
