US coal power plants shut down at near-record rate, despite Trump's promise to save industry

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coal-power-trump-plants-renewable-energy-close-a9282456.html

American coal-fired power plants were shut down at the second-fastest pace in history last year, despite Donald Trump’s frequent pledges to help the floundering industry out.

That’s according to a study by Reuters analysing statistics from the US Energy Information Administration, which found that power companies had converted or retired around 15,100 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired electricity generation in 2019, a drop that represents enough power for around 15 million homes.

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The decline marks a trend that has been seen for the past decade, as the energy source has been challenged by the production of cheap and cleaner natural gas.

Meanwhile, subsidised solar and wind energy have also cut into the market share of coal, which is a leading contributor of greenhouse gasses and global warming.


to note: The largest drop was in 2015.