Get ready for more energy shortages. The Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule was finalized last week, and it is bad news for America’s energy supply. Under the new rule, all coal plants that plan to stay open beyond 2039 and any new natural gas plant would have to cut or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032. Plants that expect to retire by 2039 face less stringent standards but still would have to capture some emissions.
Several years ago, Winter Storm Uri left millions without power and several hundred dead. Weather-dependent sources failed, and without readily available coal, the Texas power grid was minutes away from total collapse. Storm Elliot in December 2022 ripped through the Southeast, where several major utilities had to implement rolling outages to preserve supply. To prevent system collapse, coal provided nearly 40% of the critically needed energy.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation , risks of blackouts are increasing across America due to state and federal mandates for carbon-free electricity. Potential energy deficiencies are 'projected in areas where the future resource mix could fail to deliver the necessary supply of electricity under energy-constrained conditions.' Coal-heavy regions like the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator are at very high risk.