Power Sector Data and Tools: U.S. Power Plant Emissions and Compliance Data Since 1990

Since 1990, the EPA's Clean Air and Power Division has collected power plant emission data, which forms the primary source for this suite. The Power Sector Data and Tools (PSDaT) organizes this information into five components covering emissions, summaries, allowances, environmental monitoring, and modeling. As of 2018, data from approximately 96% of U.S. fossil fuel power plants is represented.

Use Cases

• Modeling hourly emissions of CO2, NOx, SO2, and mercury based on the described power plant data.
• Evaluating compliance of regulated sources based on allowance allocations and transactions data.
• Assessing changes in air and water quality based on the environmental monitoring data component.
• Understanding emission reduction trends using the summary-level data from EPA's power sector programs.

Strengths

• Primary data source is EPA-collected power plant emissions data dating back to 1990.
• As of 2018, covers approximately 96% of U.S. fossil fuel power plants.
• Includes hourly emissions data for key pollutants like CO2, NOx, SO2, and mercury.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-05-04 15:59:51; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Clean Air and Power Division.

Collection Method

Collected by the EPA from power plants.

Time Range

Since 1990.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-04 15:59:51.

Geography

United States.