Utilities Pare Down Lists of Coal-Fired Plants

Since the beginning of 2006, at least two dozen coal-fired plants have been canceled and another three put on hold.

For the past several years, growing numbers of coal-fired power plants proposed nationwide have been seen as a sign of strengthening demand for coal.

But those numbers are not as high as they seem.

In fact, they’re dropping.
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Coal-fired power projects have undergone some high-profile cancellations this year, often due to environmental concerns.

In January, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission denied a PacifiCorp request to seek bids for two coal-fired plants totaling 1,100 megawatts. The commission wanted the utility to delay until clean-coal technologies are further developed.

February was especially tough for coal.

In a lawsuit settlement with environmental groups, eight of 11 plants proposed by Texas’s TXU Corp. were canceled.

The company’s Internet home page now reads, “Increased commitment to exploring renewable energy sources and investing in alternative energy technologies.”

And Duke Energy was denied permitting in February for one of two coal-fired units it proposed to build in North Carolina. To build the other, the utility was required by the state commission to shut down four aging units and to commit one percent of electricity revenues to efficiency programs.

The State Journal