US coal-fired power generation totaled 85.9 TWh in September, down 8.8% from August, US Energy Information Administration data showed Tuesday.
From the year-ago month coal generation was down 11.2%, the smallest drop year on year in seven weeks.
From the five-year average of about 110 TWh produced in September, generation was at a 22.3% deficit this year, the lowest deficit in seven weeks, as well.
Out of total power generation, coal took a 23.9% share, up 0.4 percentage points from August.
Coal capacity averaged 51.6% in September, down from 54.6% the month before and down from 56% in the year-ago month.
Natural gas contributed 150 TWh in September, down 14.6% the month before and up 5.6% from the year-ago month.
Gas also took a 42% share of power generation, down two percentage points from August.
From the five-year average of about 123 TWh in September, gas was up 22.3%.
The capacity factor for gas plants was 63.9%, down from 70.9% in August and up slightly from 66.3% in the year-ago month.
Total renewable generation, including hydro, was 53.6 TWh, down 3% from August and up 14.9% from the year-ago month.
Renewables produced 14.9% of total generation in September, up 14.9% in the previous month.
Hydro produced 16.4 TWh in September, down 21.3% month on month and down 12.3% from the year-ago month. Utility solar produced 6.7 TWh, down 14.3% from the previous month and up 4% from the year-ago month. Wind produced 24.3 TWh, up 22.3% from August and up 35.2% from the year-ago month.
While hydro took 4.6% of generation, solar made up 1.9% and wind made 6.8%.
Capacity factors for renewables in September were 33.9% for wind, 27.4% for solar and 28.5% for hydro.