"Nation’s 3rd-Largest Utility To Shut Down Half Of Coal Fleet"

"Southern Co. announced yesterday that it will shutter roughly 55 percent of its coal fleet by the end of the decade as the company shifts to a net-zero electricity mix.

The closures include units at the nation’s two largest coal-fired power plants, as well as the previously announced Plant Daniel, one of the last coal generators in Mississippi. The move will reduce the amount of coal on Southern’s system by 80 percent since 2007, company CEO Tom Fanning told Wall Street analysts yesterday.

Atlanta-based Southern — the nation’s third-largest utility — once operated 66 generating units of coal, producing 20,450 megawatts across its Southeastern territory. It now operates 18 units producing 9,799 MW, according to the company. Once these additional units are closed, that figure will fall to roughly 4,300 MW at eight units, Fanning said."

Kristi E. Swartz reports for E&E News November 5, 2021.

Source: E&E News, 11/05/2021