Redevelopment of Former Coal Plant Sites

Coal-fired power plants across the United States shut down in 2019 at the second-fastest pace on record. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), plants with a combined total of more than 15,100 megawatts ceased operating nationwide last year — enough to power 15 million homes, and second only to the number of megawatts retired during 2015. The reasons behind these closures are many: decreasing wholesale prices, competition from comparatively cheap and plentiful alternate energy sources such as natural gas, subsidized solar and wind energy, continued compliance with federal energy regulations, and public concern over coal’s effect on climate change.

The decommissioning of U.S. coal-fired power plants, according to the U.S. EIA, is not limited to any one state nor to any one type of coal. The three largest coal plants to cease operation in 2019 were in Pennsylvania (FirstEnergy Bruce Mansfield), Arizona (Navajo), and Alabama (Gorgas).

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