Most power plants retired in last ten years were powered by fossil fuel

According to a report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels continue on a downward turn, with the majority of power plants retired since 2008 being so powered, along with most planned retirements through 2020.

Coal and natural gas are at the heart of the change, with the former accounting for 47 percent of the retired capacity and the latter accounting for 26 percent of it. Coal is likewise expected to experience a slew of closures this year, though natural gas and even some nuclear will follow in the years to come.

The EIA has given a number of factors playing parts in these closures–age, size, regional electricity use, governmental policies and improving technologies among them. Most the coal power plants retired since 2008 were old and small compared to the competition, averaging around 52 years and 105 megawatts (MW) produced. Most of those still operating, by comparison, average 39 years and 319 MW.

The Eastern region of the United States, which covers the area east of the Rocky Mountains and parts of Texas, boasts the highest contribution to the nation’s electricity generating capacity. As of 2017, it boasted 736 GW out of the nation’s 1,076 GW power structure and also saw the largest share of capacity retirements in the past decade. A flat 10 percent of its capacity retired, though coal took the greatest shift, with 19 percent of the region’s coal capacity was retired.

The Texas region, which has the least amount of generating capacity–only 123 GW–largely retired natural gas and petroleum-driven facilities since 2008. Of these, 35 percent of Texas’s natural gas-fired steam turbine capacity retired and two-thirds of its petroleum capacity retired. A sizeable retirement of coal facilities is expected to follow in 2018.

Finally, in the Western Interconnection that covers from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, which fosters about 217 GW of capacity, approximately 23 percent of its nuclear capacity was retired in 2013. In the past decade, natural gas steam turbine also saw 46 percent of their capacity retired.