DOE - Fossil Energy Techline - Issued on:  August 2, 2006

Department of Energy Tracks Resurgence of Coal-Fired Power Plants


Updated Database Shows 153 New Plants, 93 Gigawatts of Capacity Proposed by 2025

Washington, DC — As the Nation strives for energy security by developing advanced, environmentally-sound technologies and exploring a range of domestic energy sources, coal continues to prove itself as a critical energy resource for the nation. Providing more than 50 percent of U.S. electricity, coal represents an abundant, domestic energy source with more than a 250-year supply at current use rates.
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The U.S. Department of Energy maintains a database to track proposals for new coal-fired power plants. If built, these new plants will be critical in helping to meet future electricity demand in the United States. The database, titled "Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants," was created by the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory to provide occasional "snapshots" of coal’s resurgence in the generation of electric power.
 
Among the database's key highlights in the latest release are the following:

  • One hundred fifty-four (154) gigawatts of new coal capacity are projected to be needed by 2030 according to DOE’s Energy Information Administration; and
  • Ninety-three (93) gigawatts of new coal-fired power plants are under consideration, representing 153 coal-fired power plants— or enough electricity to power 93 million homes.

Proposals to build new power plants are often speculative and the ultimate decision on whether a plant will be built is based upon the ever-changing economic climate of regional power generation markets. Although comprehensive, this information is not intended to represent every possible plant under consideration, but instead illustrates the large potential emerging for new coal-fired power plants.

NETL created the database in 2002 and it is updated every few months as new information is obtained on proposed new coal-fired power plants. The results contained in the database are derived from information publicly available from a variety of tracking organizations and news groups.

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