Coming Coal & Nuclear Power Plant Retirements, & What That Means
When faced with declining profitability, plant owners may choose to retire their units rather than make additional investments to keep them operating.
Via Clean Technica:
Originally published on EIA.
By Jeffrey Jones and Michael LeffIn 2012, coal-fired and nuclear power plants together provided 56% of the electricity generated in the United States. The role of these technologies in the U.S. generation mix has been changing since 2009, as both low natural gas prices and slower growth of electricity demand have altered their competitiveness relative to other fuels. Many coal-fired plants also must comply with requirements of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and other environmental regulations. Some of the challenges faced by coal-fired and nuclear ge...