How do power plants contribute to acid rain pollution?

Power plants contribute significantly to acid rain by burning fossil fuels—such as coal, oil, and natural gas—to generate electricity. This combustion process releases sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) into the atmosphere.123

Once these gases are emitted, they undergo chemical reactions with water, oxygen, and other atmospheric chemicals to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid. These acids then mix with cloud moisture and fall to the Earth's surface as acidic precipitation, or they can settle as dry acidic particles and gases.12

In the United States, for example, electric utilities are responsible for a substantial portion of these emissions, producing nearly 70 percent of SO₂ and about 20 percent of NOₓ. Because these pollutants can travel long distances through the atmosphere, power plants can cause environmental damage in regions located hundreds to thousands of kilometres away from the original source of the pollution.123