Dem
51
GOP
49
Yesterday, we had an item about how Big Oil is reconciling itself to the advent of green energy, preferring to ride that wave rather than to be washed out by it. Today, let's follow up with a piece on coal. Specifically, the state of Pennsylvania used to be coal country, at a level that puts modern-day West Virginia or Wyoming or Kentucky to shame.
There is still some coal production in the Keystone State, of course, but it's a dying commodity. There is perhaps no bigger reminder of that fact than the fate of the coal-powered Homer City Generating Station, located a little bit east of Pittsburgh. Going online in 1969, the plant was the largest coal-burning facility in the state, capable of generating up to 1,888 megawatts of energy. As late as 2005, it was still operating at 80% capacity, but by 2022 it was down to less than 20%. Up against energy sources that were both cheaper and cleaner, the coal plant just couldn't keep going. And so, it closed its doors in mid-2023.
Now the land occupied by the plant, along with the coal fields that supplied it, will find new life... as Pennsylvania's largest solar plant. Backed by an eight-figure grant from the Inflation Reduction Act, Swift Current Energy (SCE) plans to build the Mineral Basin Solar Project. Once it's online, the plant will generate 402 MW of clean energy, enough to power 75,000 homes. Thereafter, SCE plans to expand the operation to the immediate vicinity, reaching a capacity of 1,000 MW within 5 years. As part of the plan, the company says it will invest $20 million in training for young Pennsylvanians who want to upskill, right-skill, and reskill. So, in addition to being eco-friendly, it will also be an economic boon to the region. Are you taking notes, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)?
Stories like this give hope that public-private cooperation just might allow mankind to respond to the problem of climate change before it's too late.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)