Surviving U.S. Power Plants Will Help Keep Coal Demand Steady
- Utilities will retire a record amount of coal power this year
- Existing power plants will burn more as gas prices edge up
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If you thought that a record loss of U.S. coal-fired power generation means less of the climate-changing fuel will be burned, think again.
Power plants with 23 gigawatts of coal-burning capacity will close this year as utilities strive to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits on mercury and other air toxins, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The retirements are the most in a single year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.