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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Many reasons exist for the retirement of coal-fired power capacity in the U.S.: aging plants, environmental concerns and cost-competitive alternatives such as natural gas and renewables. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), operators have scheduled 14.9 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity to be retired in the U.S. this year, with 85% of this coming from coal-fired plants, followed by natural gas (8%) and nuclear (5%).
According to the EIA, coal-fired capacity retirements averaged 11 GW a year from 2015 through 2020, slowing to 4.6 GW in 2021. However, coal retirements are expected to pick up the pace again this year, with an estimated 12.6 GW slated for retirement in 2022.
According to the EIA, the largest coal-fired plant planned for retirement this year is the William H. Zimmer plant in Moscow, Ohio, which has a generating capacity of 1,305 megawatts (MW). The plant began operating 1991. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant Database can click here for the profile. Other coal-fired facilities planned for retirement in 2022 include two units at the Morgantown Generating Station in Maryland, which have a combined generating capacity of 1,205 MW. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
After retirement often comes demolition and dismantlement, which are large undertakings. Industrial Info is tracking $2 billion worth of power demolition/dismantlement that are planned to kick off this year. In terms of numbers, coal-fired demolition/dismantlement projects easily take the lead compared with other fuel types.
Click on the image at right for a graphing showing project count by fuel type of planned 2022 U.S. power demolition/dismantlement project starts.
Among the coal-fired dismantlement/demolition projects representing the highest capacity this year is that of the Boardman Power Station in Boardman, Oregon, which had a generating capacity of 575 MW. In 2014, Portland General Electric (Portland, Oregon) constructed a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle plant next to the coal plant, and in 2020, the company announced that the coal-fired station had been permanently closed. The facility was the last coal-fired power plant in Oregon. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the detailed report.
Other coal-fired plants scheduled for demolition this year include Dairyland Power Cooperative's (La Crosse, Wisconsin) 345-MW power station in Genoa, Wisconsin, which was officially closed June 1, 2021. Construction on the facility was completed in 1969. Dairyland Power's website provides the numerous reasons for choosing to retire the plant, which was closed "after extensive evaluation of impacts on employees, age of the facility, system capacity requirements, regulatory requirements, projected maintenance needs and costs, fuel supply, overall cost of power production and regional market prices for energy." Subscribers can click here for the project report.
The city of Owensboro, Kentucky, which has about 117,000 residents in its metro area, made the decision to close its main source of power, the 445-MW Elmer Smith coal-fired power plant, in 2019. According to Energy News Network, the city planned to supply its power from another coal-fired plant from a regional supplier, along with hydropower, and solar from the Ashwood Solar Station, located about 120 miles southwest of Owensboro and scheduled to be constructed by the end of this year. Subscribers can click here for the report on the Owensboro demolition and here for the Ashwood Solar Station.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
According to the EIA, coal-fired capacity retirements averaged 11 GW a year from 2015 through 2020, slowing to 4.6 GW in 2021. However, coal retirements are expected to pick up the pace again this year, with an estimated 12.6 GW slated for retirement in 2022.
According to the EIA, the largest coal-fired plant planned for retirement this year is the William H. Zimmer plant in Moscow, Ohio, which has a generating capacity of 1,305 megawatts (MW). The plant began operating 1991. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant Database can click here for the profile. Other coal-fired facilities planned for retirement in 2022 include two units at the Morgantown Generating Station in Maryland, which have a combined generating capacity of 1,205 MW. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
After retirement often comes demolition and dismantlement, which are large undertakings. Industrial Info is tracking $2 billion worth of power demolition/dismantlement that are planned to kick off this year. In terms of numbers, coal-fired demolition/dismantlement projects easily take the lead compared with other fuel types.
Click on the image at right for a graphing showing project count by fuel type of planned 2022 U.S. power demolition/dismantlement project starts.Among the coal-fired dismantlement/demolition projects representing the highest capacity this year is that of the Boardman Power Station in Boardman, Oregon, which had a generating capacity of 575 MW. In 2014, Portland General Electric (Portland, Oregon) constructed a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle plant next to the coal plant, and in 2020, the company announced that the coal-fired station had been permanently closed. The facility was the last coal-fired power plant in Oregon. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the detailed report.
Other coal-fired plants scheduled for demolition this year include Dairyland Power Cooperative's (La Crosse, Wisconsin) 345-MW power station in Genoa, Wisconsin, which was officially closed June 1, 2021. Construction on the facility was completed in 1969. Dairyland Power's website provides the numerous reasons for choosing to retire the plant, which was closed "after extensive evaluation of impacts on employees, age of the facility, system capacity requirements, regulatory requirements, projected maintenance needs and costs, fuel supply, overall cost of power production and regional market prices for energy." Subscribers can click here for the project report.
The city of Owensboro, Kentucky, which has about 117,000 residents in its metro area, made the decision to close its main source of power, the 445-MW Elmer Smith coal-fired power plant, in 2019. According to Energy News Network, the city planned to supply its power from another coal-fired plant from a regional supplier, along with hydropower, and solar from the Ashwood Solar Station, located about 120 miles southwest of Owensboro and scheduled to be constructed by the end of this year. Subscribers can click here for the report on the Owensboro demolition and here for the Ashwood Solar Station.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
