assessment1

Fossil fuels and nuclear energy continue to dominate the fuel mix for electricity production despite their risk of environmental impact. This impact was reduced during the 1990s with relatively clean natural gas becoming the main choice of fuel for new plants, at the expense of oil, in particular. Production from coal and lignite has increased slightly in recent years but its share of electricity produced has been constant since 2000 as overall production increases. The steep increase in overall electricity production has also counteracted some of the environmental benefits from fuel switching.