Here is a tale of two trajectories for coal that are heading in opposite directions (at least, in the short term). First, the article in the first url below reports that Duke Energy has announced its intention to change its plans for its largest coal-fired power plant. The company had originally planned to close all its power plants that use "the dirty fuel" by 2035, but that has now changed:
"The utility said it plans to operate its massive Gibson Station in Indiana through 2038, according to a presentation about its resource plan for that state posted on its website Thursday. The company previously said it would shutter the plant by 2035, in line with its broader plan to be entirely coal-free by that year."
What is interesting is that the article (pre-DeepSeek) blames A.I. for unpredicted electricity consumption, which is causing utilities to alter their plans of how they will be able to meet that growing demand:
"Some US utilities are struggling to meet ambitious climate goals set before electricity forecasts began spiking amid tech giants' move to build new data centers for artificial intelligence."
Similarly:
"FirstEnergy Corp. announced earlier this year it was abandoning its 2030 target for slashing greenhouse gas emissions because it couldn't replace some coal plants in time."
In contrast, the article in the second url below reports that the UK closed its last coal-fired power plant, in early October last year, in what is being framed as a risky experiment to meet its previously announced GHG emissions goal:
"By closing the 2,000 megawatt (MW) coal plant in Nottinghamshire, Britain has become the first G7 country to end coal-fired power production and make significant progress against energy transition and pollution reduction targets."
The key is that the UK is not self-sufficient in terms of LNG, which means it will need to rely on imports, paying the market rate that is heavily influenced by geopolitics:
"UK gas consumption has exceeded domestic gas production for the past 20 years, according to the 2024 Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy. … Between 2018 and 2023, UK LNG imports jumped by 171% from 7.2 billion cubic meters (BCM) to 19.4 BCM, according to the Energy Institute."
Take care
David
David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2023
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