Shut-Down of Arizona's Generators

I wanted to do a quick post, as I've received an influx of articles on the shutting down of generators in several of Arizona's coal-fired power plants.

Before 2012, there were 8 such power plants: Abitibi Snowflake Power Plant, Apache Generating Station, Cholla Power Plant, Coronado Generating Station, Four Corners Generating Station, H. Wilson Sundt Generating Station, Navajo Generating Station, and Springerville Generating Station.

In October of 2012, Abitibi Snowflake Power Plant was closed. In September of 2013, Navajo Generating Station began consideration of shutting down one of its three units. In December of the same year, Four Corners shut down three of its five units. This past September, Cholla plans to close one of its four units and Apache has just had it's plan to convert one unit to natural gas approved by the EPA, and even more changes are exceedingly likely (or have just been accidentally skipped over! Oops!).

Of these examples, all but Abitibi Snowflake is related to changing regulations under the EPA, under the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants by 30% (of 2005 levels) by 2030. Related, I feel the need to point the word "existing" in that sentence.

Needless to say, it is obvious that the face of coal is changing, for better or worse. I hope to take a more in-depth look at this in the near-future.