Last coal-fired power plant in New England slated to close

Today, Granite Shore Power announced plans to cease operations at Merrimack Station, the last operating coal-fired power plant in New England, by 2028.  The New Hampshire-based utiltiy also announced plans to stop operating Schiller Station in Portsmouth, NH. 

“Today’s announcement marks an end to the chapter of burning coal to produce electricity in New England,”  said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “New Englanders have been breathing in soot and smog from these plants for more than half a century. Thanks to today’s announcement, all New Englanders will breathe a little easier.”

New England has abundant renewable energy resources. Granite Shore Power plans to tap clean energy tax incentives created by the federal Inflation Reduction Act to redevelop both sites for solar, energy storage and other clean energy technologies.

“Repurposing these coal plants for renewable energy is the latest example of how the Inflation Reduction Act is moving America off dirty and dangerous energy sources and toward a future powered by renewable energy,” said Neumann.