The Trump administration has announced plans to build two new coal-fired power plants in the US, one in West Virginia and one in Alaska. The projects, which are still in the planning stage, have been awarded over $100 million in federal funding for feasibility studies.

High Costs and Uncertainty

However, experts say that the cost of building these plants could be astronomical, with estimates ranging from $8 billion to over $10 billion per plant. This is due in part to the need for carbon capture technology, which would stop most of the plant’s pollution from escaping into the atmosphere.

Energy data analyst Seth Feaster said that the cost of power from these plants would be far higher than from other forms of energy, such as natural gas, solar, and wind. He also noted that existing coal plants have been experiencing mechanical issues and outages, which could increase the price of their power.

Reliability Concerns

Some experts have raised concerns about the reliability of coal plants, citing examples of recent outages and mechanical issues at plants in Colorado and Texas. However, Michelle Bloodworth, president and CEO of America’s Power, argued that coal plants are critical for ensuring electric reliability, as they can generate electricity at all times of day and in all weather conditions.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.