Slated retirements to cut US coal fleet to less than half 2015 capacity by 2035

Good to see coal retirements lining up.  Coal has enjoyed a substantial bounce back in 2021 due to returning demand and higher NG prices but in the long run renewables will squeeze out coal.  

Utilities are rapidly closing coal-fired power plants, and while 2020 and 2021 offer a relative reprieve from retirements compared to 2018 and 2019, utilities already have over 10 GW of announced retirement plans lined up in each of 2022 and 2023. Moreover, later years, such as 2028, are also already slated to host a relatively big wave of coal plant retirements.

At the start of 2015, the nation's coal fleet totaled 285.6 GW of capacity, according to Market Intelligence data. By the start of 2020, that fell to 228.8 GW, a decline of 19.9%. Closures already announced by power generators will drop that figure to 136.5 GW by 2035, or about 47.8% of the size of the fleet at the beginning of 2015.

US CO2 emissions will continue their rapid downward trend.

The chart below will have to change its Y axis to accommodate future retirements.