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The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday directed TransAlta Centralia Generation to ensure that the 730-MW unit 2 at the Centralia Generating Station in Washington remains available for operations. It is the last coal plant in Washington state.
Unit 1 was retired in 2020; unit 2 had been slated to retire at the end of 2025. DOE’s Friday move is the third order it has issued under the Federal Power Act’s section 202(c) to keep the Northwestern coal plant online.
“Taking reliable generation off the grid compromises energy reliability and needlessly raises energy costs for Americans,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement. “During peak summer demand, Northwesterners deserve continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes.”
The Trump administration has been using 202(c) orders to keep a slate of coal plants from retiring, but it is unclear if the plants are necessary for reliability, and clean energy advocates say they are not economical. The Sierra Club in March concluded that a series of 90-day orders to keep six coal plants from retiring had cost Americans more than $230 million.
