Environment Forum
Global environmental challenges
Report: A dramatic drop in coal-fired power by 2035 in the U.S.
Coal’s share of the United States’ electricity market will drop dramatically over the next two decades as supplies of low-cost natural gas expand and new pollution controls come into effect, according to a new study by Black & Veatch, the engineering and consulting giant.
The firm projects that coal-fired power plants will provide 25 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2035, down from 49 percent today. Natural gas-powered facilities’ share of electricity generation will rise to 40 percent, up from 21 percent. Renewable energy production will spike from four percent to 11 percent while nuclear generation increases slightly from 20 percent to 21 percent in 2035 under Black & Veatch’s scenario.
“Natural gas is a factor because it’s cheap at the moment,” Mark Griffith, a Black & Veatch managing director, said in an interview. “Over the past two years it has become a growing factor in the decision-making process.”
Black & Veatch predicts that about 16 percent of the U.S.’ coal-fired fleet will be retired in the coming years to avoid the cost of complying with new pollution control measures.
