Between 2010 and May 2019, 290 coal power plants, representing 40% of the U.S. coal generating capacity, closed. This was mainly due to competition from other generating sources, primarily cheaper and cleaner natural gas, as a result of the fracking boom, which has replaced so many coal plants that natural gas in 2019 accounted for 40% of the total electricity generation in the U.S., as well as the decrease in the cost of renewables.[5] However, some coal plants remain profitable because costs to other people due to the health and environmental impact of the coal industry (estimated to average 5 cents per kWh)[6][7] are not priced into the cost of generation. Some coal plants are considering only operating during periods of higher electricity demand, from December to February and from June to August.[8] Most plants are expected to close by 2039.[9]
Coal-fired power stations
**The fuel type that is at the top of the section of each power plant is the most used fuel, and the one at the bottom is the least used. For example, Williams Station uses more refined coal than bituminous coal.**
**Refined coal is lower grade sub-bituminous or lignite coal that is treated to create less toxins when burned and is supported by government subsidies.**
**Muskogee Mill and Muskogee power plants are different despite being in the same state and are not duplicates**
^Peaking plant and last coal-fired power plant in New England
^Newest coal-fired power plant in the United States. It was finished in 2018 and is the only coal-fired power plant to have been constructed in the US since 2015.
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