A new power industry to meet the changing demands of the markets of the future

摘要

American Electric Power has been a close partner with the coal industry for nearly a century. Throughout the AEP System, almost 90 percent of its power supply capacity of nearly 24,000 megawatts relies on coal-fired generation. When the pending AEP merger with the Central and South West Corporation of Dallas, Texas, is completed, the new AEP will be more fuel diverse but still predominantly dependent upon coal. The United States will be more diverse in its fuel sources for generating electricity in the future, but still heavily dependent on the coal-electricity partnership. There currently are four large-scale options for generating electricity: coal, nuclear, hydro, and fluid hydrocarbons -- oil or gas. Each has its challenges and limitations. Coal is plentiful and economical, but has significant environmental challenges.