US Government orders TransAlta to keep uneconomic coal plant open

• 2 days ago (2025-12-17)
• David Flin

Coal 344 North America 1064

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Chris Wright, the US Energy Secretary, has signed an Executive Order to force TransAlta to keep open Unit 2 of the Centralia coal-fired power station in Washington State.

TransAlta had planned to close the unit at the end of 2025, but the order compels it to continue to operate the plant until 16 March, 2026.

Wright said that the US Administration requires the country’s coal-fired power plants to delay retirements to deliver the electricity required by AI data centres.

The US Administration also ordered for a third time the J H Campbell coal-fired power plant in Michigan to remain open despite its majority owner saying that the plant was operating at a loss and was losing the company millions of dollars every month.