DOE study backing coal for grid reliability based on ‘fatal flaw,’ NGSA says

摘要

A report by DOE concluding that coal saved the US Northeast from catastrophic blackouts during the “bomb cyclone” storm this winter was mistaken because it incorrectly conflated the amounts of fuels dispatched for electricity with the amount of fuel available, a natural gas industry group said last week. The National Energy Technology Laboratory report released March 27 recommended that decision-makers slow the retirement of coalfired power plants and provide financial incentives to keep them in the power market as the most reliable source of power. The report came on the heels of a failed attempt to convince FERC to provide market incentives to keep coal-fired plants running because DOE claimed they were more reliable than natural gas.