EIA Estimates 27 Gigawatts of Coal will Retire in Next Five Years

Owners of power plants are reporting to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that they are planning to retire 175 coal-fired power plants with an aggregate capacity of 27 gigawatts (GWs) in the next five years.

These planned retirement values reflect the early release version of the 2011 reports by plant owners and operators on the Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report." The data are subject to change and may not reflect all the retirements that companies are considering. Respondents to this survey include industrial and commercial generators, as well as those in the electric power sector.

The EIA attributes the retirements to modest demand growth, low natural gas prices, an aged fleet, costs of compliance with environmental regulations, and costs of compliance with other federal and state requirements.

This post was authored by GLLF staff attorney Emily Kelchen.