Report identifies 2.6 gigawatts of ‘uneconomic’ coal plants in Midwest

In a report released today, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of coal capacity across six Midwest states considered uneconomic compared to cleaner alternatives, raising the possibility that some of those plants may close in coming years.

Nationwide, the report found that 21 percent of the coal-fired generation capacity in 2016 is currently deemed uneconomic, while an additional 18 percent of national coal-fired capacity is covered by announcements of closure or conversion to natural gas...