Natural Gas Prices, EPA's Definition of 'Construction Start', Could Determine Fate of 15 New-Build Coal Plants

SUGAR LAND--January 02, 2013--Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The future of North American new-build coal-fired generation is not as bleak as some analysts have claimed, according to Brock Ramey, North American Power manager for Industrial Info. Exactly how bright the future might be depends in large part on natural gas prices, he said in an interview. "When gas prices in some regional markets were about $3.25 or less per million British thermal units (MMBtu), utilities increased their dispatch of gas-fired power, and coal generation was temporarily idled," Ramey said. "But now that gas prices have risen to $3.75 or more per MMBtu in some regional markets, coal generation is being more frequently dispatched."