top of page
Search

Why Are We Still Closing Coal Plants?

The warnings come from the organizations responsible for assuring reliable electric power. The National Electric Reliability Council has stated” “coal-fired generator retirements… have caused a sharp decline in anticipated resource … new generation is insufficient to make up for retirements and load growth.” The largest power pools in the nation echoed NERC concern in testimony before the House Energy Committee:


(1) PJM Interconnection (67 million people), CEO Manu Asthana: “dispatchable generators- those generators that can quickly respond regardless of weather, are retiring at a rapid pace largely due to state and federal policies.”


(2) MISO (15 states), Jennifer Curran, Senior VP,: “The rapid retirement of existing coal power plants threatens to outpace the ability of new resources”


(3) Southwest Power Pool (13 states) : CEO Lanny Nickell : “these retirements have almost exponentially increased reliability risks… around-the-clock generation (coal) was retired and largely replaced with weather-dependent resources” (i.e. wind and solar).


 
 
 

Recent Posts

See All
Coal Needs Boots on the Ground

The coal industry is in a fight for its life. The forces arrayed against coal are many, varied and powerful. Supporters of coal — producers, consumers, suppliers, transporters — need to rally at the s

 
 
 
Close Coal and Burn Oil, Even Jet Fuel

THIS IS THE REALITY: “In the week ending January 25, 2026, as Winter Storm Fern affected significant portions of the country, coal-fired electricity generation increased 31% from the previous week. ..

 
 
 
Europe: Paying the Price for Closing Coal (Part 1)

Will Rogers once said: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." Nevertheless, Europe continues to shovel deeper and deeper. The recent and projected increases in electricity prices in the EU ar

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page