Thursday 9 January 2020

Coal-fired power plant in Montana to close two units

Coal-fired power plant owner Talen Montana is to close two units of its 2,100MW Colstrip Steam Electric Station power plant in Montana, US.

It will shut down the oldest of its four units around 30 months ahead of schedule because of the high cost of running them and the unwillingness of its coal supplier to lower prices.

The units, which have a capacity of 614MW, will be permanently retired on 31st December - they had previously been scheduled for closure by mid-2022.

Demand for coal across the US has dropped as environmental regulations have driven up costs and climate concerns have made it a more unpopular choice of fuel.