Last coal-burning power plant in New England set to close in a win for environmentalists
BOSTON — New England’s last coal-fired power plant, which has been the focus of a lawsuit and protests, is expected to be closed in a victory for environmentalists.
Granite Shore Power said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to close the Merrimack Station in New Hampshire by June 2028. As part of the deal, the company said the site will be converted into the state’s first renewable energy farm to house solar energy. energy and battery storage systems. The company also said it would close Portsmouth’s Schiller Station in December 2025. That facility, which may use oil, coal and biomass, has not been active for several years.
“From our earliest days as owners and operators, we have been crystal clear; While our power is still on at times during New England’s hottest days and coldest nights, we were committed to transitioning our facilities from coal to a newer, cleaner energy future,” said Jim Andrews, CEO of Granite Shore Power. “By pursuing and ultimately entering into this voluntary agreement with the EPA, we are keeping that commitment.”
The 460-megawatt station in Bow has long been a thorn in the side of environmental groups. Recently, the Sierra Club and the Conservation Law Foundation filed a lawsuit against facility owners, alleging they violated the Clean Water Act. The plant was owned by Eversource until 2018, when it was sold to Connecticut-based Granite Shore Power. Both were named as suspects.
The environmental groups alleged that the plant draws approximately 287 million gallons (1.1 billion liters) of water per day from the Merrimack River, heats that water as a result of the cooling process, and then discharges the water back into the river at temperatures that are often higher than the normal temperature. 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
Climate activists also protested the factory and demanded its closure, concerned that it was a major source of air pollution. In one incident last year, climate activists paddled canoes and kayaks across the Merrimack River to the factory site and were arrested after entering the site.
“This historic victory is a testament to the strength and determination of those who never wavered in the fight for their communities and future,” Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement. “The people of New Hampshire and all of New England will soon be breathing cleaner air and drinking safer water.”
The Sierra Club said the announcement will make New Hampshire the 16th state to be coal-free and New England the second coal-free region in the country. Yet most of the region’s energy comes from natural gas. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of perseverance and dedication from people across New England who knew that coal was a dirty, expensive and unreliable energy source that would shorten people’s lives, and that a better way was possible for our economy . our health and for our planet,” said Gina McCarthy, senior advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies and former White House national climate adviser. “I am extremely proud to be from New England today and every day.”