Coal Power Fades
Stricter emission standards and competition from natural gas have forced companies to announce the closure of more than 150 coal boilers; Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that another 263 could follow. Combined, this could result in the retirement of nearly a quarter of the U.S. coal fleet by the end of the decade. Not pictured on this map are the 100 boilers that have already been removed from service over the past three years due to these conditions. (An individual coal plant can be made up of a number of units, or boilers.)
Published Feb. 20, 2014
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Of the 536 coal-fired plants in the United States 84 have announced boiler retirements (as of EIA's December 2012 survey) and 146 are modeled as likely to have units retire by Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis.
all coal-fueled plants unaffected plants announced retirements modeled retirements
Click plant circles to zoom and center.
GRAPHIC: Jeremy Diamond, Meredith Annex and Dave Merrill