PacifiCorp, the largest utility company in Wyoming, has rolled back plans for easing back coal plants and shifting to renewable energy projects in the state. Its updated changes give more reliance on coal and natural gas, reported the Kemmerer Gazette.
What's happening?
PacifiCorp, a major utility company in six western U.S. states, had revised its plans for future energy projects in Wyoming. Each plan, which is "a roadmap for the future, based on the most current information we have for modeling and projection," changes every two years based on new data, according to PacifiCorp spokesman David Eskelsen.
Initially, the plan was to retire two of four coal plants at the Dave Johnston power plant by 2028. Now, the plan is to convert those to natural gas the following year and continue operation. One other coal plant will also be converted to natural gas in 2030 and the fourth will be shut down entirely.
Rather than fully retiring two of four coal-burning units at the Dave Johnston power plant in 2028, the utility now plans to convert those units to natural gas in 2029 and continue their operation. A third coal unit at Dave Johnston will be shut down in 2027, as previously planned, and the fourth, which had no retirement date, will now be converted to natural gas in 2030.
"These changes are in response to variables in future customer demand, technology developments, state and federal policy changes and projections of future economics," said Eskelsen, per Kemmerer Gazette.
Recently, PacifiCorp has also shifted other Wyoming plants to natural gas. According to the Kemmerer Gazette, PacifiCorp is moving toward natural gas for many of its plants because it is the "least-cost, least-risk option for the company and its customers."
Sierra Club attorney, Rose Monahan, told Kemmerer Gazette that, even as PacifiCorp is increasing solar power and constructing power lines, "Wyoming's electric rates are still going to be closely tied to fossil fuels."
Why is this revised plan important?
Because the plans are revised every two years, experts are concerned that the plan relies too heavily on the current administration's focus on coal. Recently, President Trump ordered a Michigan coal plant to remain open.
"This administration will not last forever," said Monahan. "This is a 20-year portfolio. To just assume no changes in environmental policy — it's just building risk into the portfolio, unnecessarily."
"Instead of prioritizing cost-effective, job-creating renewable energy, the utility is doubling down on expensive fossil fuels, speculative carbon capture technology and a nuclear plant — all while ratepayers foot the bill," Sierra Club of Wyoming energy organizer Emma Jones told Kemmerer Gazette.
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Definitely 👍 For Dave Johnston power plant commission chairman Jim Willox, the revised plan is good for the country. "It provides regular, good-paying employment and, even more importantly, baseline power for the western United States," Willox said.
However, coal contributes to air pollution and approximately 19% of total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide pollution, which causes global temperatures to rise and increases severe weather events. Natural gas, also a limited dirty fuel like coal, releases methane, which is 34 times stronger at trapping heat in the atmosphere over 100 years, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Coal is also losing workers, reported the Citizens' Climate Lobby. Between 1980 and 2015, coal mining lost about 58% of its jobs. Meanwhile, clean energy sectors are growing. Solar installers and technicians are estimated to grow 11-13 times faster than the average U.S. jobs. According to the World Resources Institute, clean energy can add "6.5 million net jobs in the U.S. energy economy" by 2035.
PacifiCorp's plan can lead to further pollution without contributing to the growth of quality jobs.
What's being done about coal and natural gas plants?
Across the country, coal is becoming less relied on. According to the Energy Information Administration, coal has dropped from 37% of energy consumed in 1950 to only 9% in 2023, the same amount as affordable energy like wind and solar. However, natural gas accounted for 36% of the energy consumed in 2023.
Other projects in the world have shown the ability to turn abandoned coal plants into affordable energy projects. In the UK, a former coal plant was turned into a battery storage facility, powering nearly three million homes. While in the Midwest, coal operating giant Peabody is turning old coal mines into solar projects.
As an individual, you can also write to your representative about taking climate action against coal and natural gas. The Citizens' Climate Lobby has a form that can help you personalize a message to your Congress representative to urge them to fund more affordable projects like solar, wind, and geothermal energy.
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