Electricity prices are probably on their way up across much of the United States as coal-fired plants, the dominant source of cheap power, shutdown in response to environmental regulations and economic forces, according to the Associated Press.
New and tighter pollution rules and tough competition from cleaner sources such as natural gas, wind and solar will lead to the closings of dozens of coal-burning plants across 20 states over the next three years, and many of those that stay open will need expensive retrofits, the AP reported.
The Obama administration, state governments and industry are struggling to balance this push for a cleaner environment with the need to keep the grid reliable and prevent prices from rocketing too much higher, according to the AP.
Coal is the workhorse of the U.S. power system and is used to produce 40 percent of the nation's electricity, more than any other fuel. Because it is cheap and abundant and can be stored on power plant grounds, it helps keep prices stable and power flowing even when demand spikes, the AP reported.
Natural gas, which accounts for 26 percent of the nation's electricity, has dropped in price and become more plentiful because of the fracking boom, but its price is on the rise again, and it is still generally more expensive to produce electricity with gas than with coal, according to the AP.
Burning coal releases toxic chemicals, soot and smog-forming chemicals, as well as twice the amount of carbon dioxide that natural gas produces, the AP reported. The Supreme Court last month gave an important approval to one Environmental Protection Agency clean-air rule which cleared the way for a new rule expected to be announced by President Barack Obama early next month.
This rule, the first to govern emissions of carbon dioxide from existing power plants, could accelerate the move away from coal, according to the AP.
Already, the current rules are expected to force power companies to shut down 68 coal plants across 20 states between 2014 and 2017, according to Bentek Energy, a market analysis firm, the AP reported.
