< Return to FAQs

How much does it cost to generate electricity with different types of power plants?

If you are analyzing a power plant and are looking to calculate the cost to generate electricity, you'll need to know four things: 

  • The required amount of power and energy
  • Amount of fuel you need to generate that much power and energy
  • The cost of the fuel
  • Cost of Operating and Maintaining the Power Plant

Check out this post to calculate how much fuel is needed.

Then, take a look at this data set to find the cost of fuel and M&O costs.

If these aren't the units you need, try some of these conversions:

A mill is equal to 1/1,000 of a U.S. dollar, or 1/10 of one cent. 

For information on future energy-generating projects, EIA has projected values on projects through 2050.