"U.S. coal plant use is dropping, but utilities are delaying their retirement and running them — even when they cost more than renewable sources."
"The Victor J. Daniel Jr. coal plant — now the largest electric generator in Mississippi — began pumping out power in 1977. In 2001, it got a second life, when owner Mississippi Power added two new turbines that could run on natural gas. Plant Daniel’s coal furnaces were supposed to shut down in 2027.
But now, the plant is slated for a third act. This year, Georgia Power won regulatory approval to buy power from that plant through 2028, due to what the utility called “unprecedented” growth in electricity demand.
Coal-powered generation of electricity has steadily declined in the United States over the past 15 years, driven out by cheaper fuel sources including natural gas, wind and solar — cutting a main source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
In the meantime, however, estimates of U.S. electricity demand in 2029 have increased nearly five-fold from those made just a few years ago, fueled by demand from data centers and other high-energy-using industries."
Emma Foehringer Merchant reports for Floodlight January 8, 2025.
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