Lawmakers in almost a dozen states have introduced legislation to prop up coal plants that are facing closures. With U.S. power demand surging to record heights in coming years due to increased usage of emerging electricity-reliant technologies, some officials believe the Biden administration’s clean energy transition will not happen fast enough to meet the nation’s growing needs.
“People were concerned that power plants were being taken offline before the new power plants were ready to go,” Joe Trotter, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s energy, environment and agriculture task force director, told Politico. “When you marry that with basically the increase in electrification and electric cars — essentially the increased demand for electricity — it just creates a problem.”
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These proposals vary in their methods from state to state, with some granting regulators more authority to intervene in plant retirements, and others compelling utility companies to shoulder transition costs or seek alternative power sources. A bill in Utah even proposed the use of taxpayer funds to purchase closing coal plants.
The North American Electric Reliability Corp emphasized the need for continued energy production from coal, warning of increased risks of electricity shortages during extreme weather events across most regions of the country in the coming decade. This challenge is further compounded by U.S. electricity demand now being anticipated to jump 80% higher than what had been expected over the next five years, driven by the proliferation of technologies like cryptocurrency mining, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
However, critics argue that prolonging the life of coal plants merely postpones the inevitable and exacerbates environmental harm. A report by Energy Innovation reveals that almost all of the nation’s 210 remaining coal plants would be more costly to operate than replacing them with renewable energy sources.
“Coal’s decline has really sunk in,” said Michelle Solomon, a senior policy analyst at the Energy Innovation. “With the price of batteries coming down quite rapidly, it makes it a no-brainer to install renewables and storage instead of relying on a coal plant that’s going to be more expensive.”
The size of the investment this would require can be demonstrated in the case of a coal plant in Utah targeted for potential preservation. Even if the state were to purchase it as proposed legislation would allow, the expenses associated with updating the plant and retrofitting it with carbon capture technology could amount to approximately $5 billion.
Environmental concerns are another factor in the pushback against the continued use of this energy production method. Coal remains the largest source of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. energy sector, responsible for over half of the emissions generated and contributing to global pollution that claims half a million lives worldwide every year.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulations that could effectively mandate the closure of all coal plants by 2040 unless they adopt costly emissions capture technology that would have to curtail at least 90% of the pollution they create before 2030.
Ultimately, the debate over the future of coal plants in America is a race against time. While eliminating them presents a clear environmental benefit, meeting the nation’s escalating energy demands poses a significant challenge as well.
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Coal, Cryptocurrency, Electric vehicles, Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emissions, Joe Biden, Utah
[JACK ALYMER]
AMERICA’S DEMAND FOR POWER – IS GETTING GREATER BY THE DAY.
FROM CRYPTO-MINING, TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, THE GRID IS STRAINING TO MEET THE NEED.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTS THAT NEED TO BE MET WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY – BUT THAT TRANSITION ISN’T KEEPING PACE.
ENTER – AN OLD ALTERNATIVE – COAL.
DESPITE IT’S ‘DIRTY’ REPUTATION – A FIFTH OF THE POWER GENERATED IN THE U-S STILL COMES FROM COAL PLANTS.
HOWEVER THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN DWINDLING IN RECENT YEARS.
CLOSE TO HALF OF THE NATION’S POWER CAPACITY FROM COAL PLANTS IS ON TRACK TO BE GONE BY 20-26.
NOW – SOME LAWMAKERS ARE CALLING TO KEEP THESE FACILITIES RUNNING BY PROPPING THEM UP
NO, NOT LIKE THAT.
IN ALMOST A DOZEN STATES, LEGISLATION HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO SAVE COAL PLANTS FACING IMPENDING CLOSURES.
HOW THEY’RE TRYING TO DO THAT VARIES FROM STATE TO STATE.
SOME PROPOSALS WOULD GIVE STATE REGULATORS MORE POWER TO INTERVENE IN COAL PLANT RETIREMENTS.
OTHERS WOULD REQUIRE UTILITY COMPANIES TO COVER TRANSITION COSTS OR FIND ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF POWER.
ONE BILL IN UTAH EVEN ALLOWS THE STATE TO USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF CLOSING COAL PLANTS.
WHILE THE METHODS DIFFER, THE GOAL REMAINS THE SAME.
KEEP PLANTS OPEN SO RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CAN CATCH UP.
THE NORTH AMERICAN ELECTRIC RELIABILITY CORP PUTS IT IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. THEY SAY THAT OVER THE NEXT DECADE MOST REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY ARE FACING INCREASED RISKS OF INADEQUATE ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES DURING PERIODS OF EXTREME WEATHER.
THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THE NATION’S ELECTRICITY LOAD IS EXPECTED TO JUMP MORE THAN 80 PERCENT HIGHER THAN WHAT HAD BEEN EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THAT’S A RESULT OF A VARIETY OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES WHICH MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO USE, LIKE CRYPTO, AI, AND EVEN ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
THEY’RE ALL PUTTING A STRAIN ON U.S. ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.
GREEN ENERGY ADVOCATES ARGUE DELAYING THE INEVITABLE BY KEEPING COAL PLANTS OPEN WILL ONLY CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
A REPORT BY ENERGY INNOVATION FOUND ALL BUT ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S 210 REMAINING COAL PLANTS WOULD COST MORE TO RUN THAN IF THEY WERE REPLACED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.
MEANWHILE, THE EPA HAS PROPOSED RULES THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY REQUIRE ALL COAL PLANTS TO CLOSE BY 20-40 ANYWAY.
THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD STAY OPEN UNDER THIS POTENTIAL MANDATE IS IF PLANTS START CAPTURING 90 PERCENT OF THEIR EMISSIONS BY 20-30.
THIS WOULD FURTHER ADD TO OPERATING COSTS WHICH ALREADY RUN MUCH HIGHER THAN THEIR CLEAN ENERGY REPLACEMENTS.
TAKE ONE OF THE COAL PLANTS THAT UTAH BILL IS LOOKING TO KEEP ALIVE FOR EXAMPLE.
EVEN IF THE STATE DID BUY IT, THE COST OF UPDATING THE PLANT AND RETROFITTING IT WITH CARBON CAPTURE TECH WOULD TOTAL ABOUT 5 BILLION DOLLARS.
AND THERE’S THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOWNSIDE AS WELL.
NO OTHER SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY IN THE U.S. PRODUCES MORE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THAN COAL.
IT’S RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER HALF OF WHAT THE COUNTRY’S ENERGY SECTOR EMITS.
GLOBALLY, POLLUTION FROM COALS KILLS HALF A MILLION PEOPLE EVERY YEAR.
ELIMINATING THEM IS AN EASY SOLUTION FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT, BUT A DIFFICULT ONE WHEN IT COMES TO MEETING AMERICA’S GROWING ENERGY NEEDS.
EITHER WAY, IT’S A DEBATE WITH A TICKING CLOCK.
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