Despite President Donald Trump’s executive orders to increase coal use, many power plants plan to stop using it this year.
This year, fifteen coal-fired power plants across the country will close or convert to natural gas.
According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, this reflects the electric power market’s overall trend.
More than a decade has passed since the last new coal plant was built in the United States. Coal-fired generation capacity has fallen by nearly 50% since its peak.
Furthermore, the actual generation of coal plants has decreased even faster, by more than 60%.
As a result, the nation’s remaining coal plants, including those in West Virginia, are becoming increasingly idle as cheaper resources such as natural gas, wind, and solar take precedence.
Even in coal-dependent West Virginia, the primary electricity producers have stated that they are considering or intend to convert their coal plants to natural gas in the coming years.
