US coal capacity to shrink 28% by 2035: EIA

Coal-fired power plants don't have a mandatory retirement age but 28% currently operating have plans to halt operations by 2035, the EIA said Dec. 15.

Planned retirement dates were reported to the EIA by power plant owners and operators. The announced retirements would reduce coal-fired capacity by 59 GW by 2035. By way of comparison, about 212 GW of coal-fired electric-generating capacity was operating in the US as of September 2021.

"The units that have reported plans to retire are not necessarily the oldest ones operating; some units built in the 1980s and 1990s are also scheduled to retire," the EIA said. "When they retire, the retiring units will have approximately 50 years of service, based on their planned retirement dates."

The average active coal-fired generating unit in the US is 45 years old, with most coal-burning power plants built in the 1970s and 1980s.

"Planned retirement dates within the next four to five years are considered relatively firm; retirements further in the future are subject to more regulatory and economic uncertainty," the EIA said.

About 100 GW of coal capacity has retired in the US since 2022, with the capacity-weighted average retirement age 50 years, according to the EIA.