One worker suffered minor injuries after an explosion in a coal bunker at DTE Energy’s St. Clair coal-fired power plant in Michigan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold two public hearings on the proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants.

Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on May 17 wrote a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson seeking more information about EPA’s plans to regulate carbon emissions for new and existing power plants.

The PJM Interconnection Board May 17 approved nearly $2 billion in electric transmission upgrades that will maintain electric power supplies in the wake of plans to retire 14,000 MW of coal-fired generation between May 2012 and the end of 2015.

The Weekly Coal Production shows how much coal is being produced across the U.S.

Under the revised "Power Block First" proposal for the 611 MW Taylorville Energy Center (TEC) in Illinois, electricity customers in the state could save an estimated $437.7 million over a 20-year period, including more than $250.6 million in the plant's first five years of operation.

The energy minister of Mexico said the country would require $20.1 billion in power generation investments through 2026.

In a study commissioned by the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), economists at The Brattle Group evaluated the feasibility of complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule.

A report from the U.S. Department of Energy shows the U.S. used a record amount of natural gas-fired generation in February.

Tenaska has offered to use natural gas instead of coal to power the proposed 716 MW Taylorville Energy Center in central Illinois.

Public Service of New Hampshire suspended operations at its 460 MW Merrimack coal-fired power plant saying that it is cheaper to buy the electricity on the open market.

Minnesota Power has announced plans to upgrade Boswell Energy Center Unit 4 in Cohasset, Minn. with emissions controls that will reduce its mercury emissions by 90 percent.

Hoosier Energy plans to retire its 250 MW Ratts coal-fired power plant in Indiana in 2015.

A new report by Bloomberg Government says that gas-fired generation will likely become the dominant form of power generation over time in light of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) new standards for greenhouse gases

Purdue University officials on May 7 presented a Comprehensive Energy Master Plan (CEMP), which calls for $33.1 million to be used to demolish an old coal-burning boiler, convert another coal-burning boiler to natural gas, install a natural gas-fired combined heat and power unit, and increase steam distribution along Jischke Drive.

Wisconsin Energy said it expects the 615 MW Unit 1 at the Elm Road coal-fired power plant in Wisconsin to be back online by the end of May.

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS), a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, has filed for a Certificate of Authority from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to install the first U.S. commercial application of Regenerative Activated Coke Technology (ReACT) at its 321 MW Weston 3 plant.

AES Corp. will sell 2,727 MW of coal-fired capacity in China for $134 million because it is unable to pass on higher coal costs to customers.

Kincaid Generation LLC, a subsidiary of Dominion Resources Inc (NYSE: D), awarded the KBR Power & Industrial Group a contract to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for a dry sorbent injection (DSI) system to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at its 1,158 MW Kincaid coal-fired power plant in Illinois.

The Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that a loophole allowed coal-fired power plants in Oklahoma to exceed emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.

Citing depressed power prices and the high cost of environmental controls, as well as other factors, Ameren Energy Resources Co. LLC (AER), filed a petition with the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) seeking flexibility in meeting certain emissions standards established by the Illinois Multi-Pollutant Standards (MPS).

AES Gener and AES Energy Storage announced the commercial operation of the second energy storage project in Northern Chile, integrating 20 MW of advanced battery-based energy storage with a 544 MW thermal power plant.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a proposal by Kentucky Utilities Co. (KU) and Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E) to build a 640 MW natural gas-fired power plant at LG&E’s Cane Run plant and to purchase the 495 MW Bluegrass natural gas-fired plant in Oldham County.

Midwest Generation is planning to close two coal-fired power plants in Illinois sooner than planned. In February, the company announced that it would shutter the 326 MW Fisk plant and the 542 MW Crawford plant by the end of 2014.

FirstEnergy cannot close its Ashtabula, Eastlake, Bay Shore and Lakeshore coal-fired power plants in Ohio until 2015.

Reliability has for many years been the main driver for retrofitting an aging U.S. coal fleet.

If any electric utility is playing the "diversity card" at this point in time, it seems to be Duke Energy.

In the midst of one of the largest generation build-outs in America's history, natural gas prices are plummeting at a pace that has taken even the experts off guard.

An environmental group has filed an appeal to once again stop construction of a $2.88 billion integrated gasification combined-cycle power plant in Kemper County, Miss.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has issued the final amended air permit for the Taylorville Energy Center, managed by Tenaska.

Duke Energy Indiana, a unit of Duke Energy, announced a settlement agreement with some of the state's key consumer groups involved in regulatory proceedings dealing with the company's 618 MW Edwardsport coal gasification power plant.

The Babcock & Wilcox Co. said that its subsidiary, Babcock & Wilcox Canada Ltd. (B&W Canada), has been awarded a $25 million contract from SaskPower to design and retrofit SaskPower’s 300 MW Shand coal-fired power plant in Saskatchewan.

The Babcock & Wilcox Co. said that its subsidiary Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Inc. (B&W PGG) was awarded a $150 million contract to design, supply and build emissions control equipment for Wisconsin Power & Light’s Columbia coal-fired power plant in Wisconsin.

The Institute for Energy Research, an industry-backed think tank, has released an energy primer detailing U.S. production and consumption of energy.

Rocky Mountain Power LLC, which owns the Hardin coal-fired power plant in Montana, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on April 23.

TransAlta Corp. said it has abandoned plans to build the $1.4 billion Project Pioneer carbon capture and storage facility at an Alberta coal-fired power plant.

PacifiCorp, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy Holdings, said upgrading its coal fleet in order to comply with future federal and state environmental requirements may cost $1 billion.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission gave new approval on April 24 for Mississippi Power to continue construction on the 582 MW Kemper County integrated gasification combined-cycle power plant.

American Electric Power held its 105th annual meeting of shareholders April 24, 2012, in Tulsa, Okla., the home of AEP subsidiary Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO).

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO), a unit of American Electric Power, has entered into an agreement in principle with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Oklahoma and the Sierra Club that establishes a framework for PSO to comply with EPA regulations affecting the company’s two coal-fired units at its Northeastern Station in Oologah, Okla.

PPL Montana sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on April 23 to prevent the agency from releasing data to two environmental groups about upgrades made to PPL’s 2,000 MW Colstrip coal-fired power plant.

Air Liquide was chosen to supply and build a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at a 700 MW coal-fired power plant in Queensland, Australia.

Arch Coal Inc. said Deck S. Slone has been elected senior vice president, strategy and public policy, effective June 1.

Patriot Coal Corp. on April 20 said it plans to further reduce thermal coal production.

Power4Georgians announced a new investor in the $2.1 billion, 850 MW coal-fired Plant Washington in Georgia.

The Arizona Corporation Commission approved Arizona Public Service Co’s purchase of Southern California Edison’s majority ownership share of units 4 and 5 at a coal-fired power plant in New Mexico.

A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has developed a method that could identify the sources of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

Colorado’s Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency challenging EPA’s new mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants.

Day & Zimmermann NPS signed a five-year contract to provide full-service outage management, power plant maintenance and boiler repairs and modifications to We Energies’ ten fossil-fueled power plants in Wisconsin and Michigan.