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Page added on August 28, 2009

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Recession Speeds Coal's Long-Term Decline

Declining industrial electricity demand and an abundance of cheap natural gas will threaten coal’s status as the dominant U.S. fuel to generate electric power, even after the economic recession ends.

Power companies are reducing use of coal plants because of declining demand from heavy industry, the economic sector hardest hit by the recession. The loss of industrial “baseload” looks long term, analysts and executives say.
Coal may enjoy a brief curtain call, if the economy and industry rebound quickly, overwhelming the ability of natural gas, nuclear power and alternate energy sources to quickly respond to a demand surge, said Brian Gamble of Simmons & Co.

But long term, coal’s share will be eroded by cleaner energy sources, Gamble predicted.

Coal executives and many analysts say low gas prices are temporary and President Barack Obama’s commitment to America’s most plentiful fuel, and the technology to burn it cleanly, guarantee coal’s future.

Planet Ark



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