Wyoming Coal Is No Longer In The Money

Study suggests coal power in Wyoming is too expensive

Heather Richards, July 2, 2018 (Gillette News Record)

“…[In the nation’s largest coal-producing state, coal power from coal plants owned by Wyoming’s largest utility isn’t] always the cheapest power source for customers, particularly compared to renewables. That finding [from the PacifiCorp Coal Valuation Study] runs counter to assumptions that proximity to coal mines always drives down the cost of coal power, compared with other options…Wyoming coal-fired power plant Jim Bridger in Sweetwater County provides some of the most expensive power in the utility’s 22-coal unit fleet…

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[Natural gas generation prices] have been cheap and are expected to remain low, while many of the country’s coal plants are aging…Add to that picture the falling cost of developing wind and the coal industry has faced an unprecedented shift in demand…Coal continues to be part of the electricity mix, particularly for PacifiCorp. The question is, should it remain so…[The analysis] does not provide a full picture, sidelining costs like transmission and the price tag of replacing a significant amount of power now available from coal with new wind or solar…It is clear, nevertheless, that the ongoing costs of operating PacifiCorp’s coal units to supply electricity to customers are increasing while the cost of renewable energy is falling…” click here for more

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