U.S. Coal Plant Retirement Delays Continue

In December, the Department of Energy issued emergency orders requiring four coal-fired power plants to remain online for at least 90 more days. This extended a pattern that began in Spring 2025, when Michigan’s J.H. Campbell Complex (coal) and Pennsylvania’s Eddystone Generation Station (natural gas/oil) were kept running through the first of several 90-day extensions. The following Energy Market Insight reviews one plant’s response to its numerous retirement delays, how the four latest coal plants given emergency orders may react, and what might be in store for planned coal-plant retirements in 2026.

What’s going on with J.H. Campbell

J.H. Campbell was the first plant to receive an emergency order to continue operating, delaying the originally planned retirement date of May 31^st, 2025. In the two months before retirement, its coal supply had reached an estimated seven days of fuel, compared to the plant’s typical 20 to 60 days.

From the beginning of January 2025 until J.H. Campbell’s originally planned retirement date, the effort to reduce stocks before retirement resulted in the plant running at a capacity factor of 71.5%. Then, despite low coal stocks, the plant did continue operating at a 44% capacity factor following the emergency order. This usage put its yearly capacity factor at 61% through October 2025, right in line with its ten-year average of 60%.

Other plant retirements being delayed

In addition to J.H. Campell, four other coal plants have had emergency orders issued to them for the first time:

• TransAlta Centralia Generation Unit 2 (730 MW, Washington)
• Craig Station Unit 1 (446.4 MW, Colorado)
• F.B. Culley Unit 2 (103.7 MW, Indiana)
• R.M. Schahfer Units 17 & 18 (847 MW, Indiana)

F.B. Culley and Craig Station both have additional units that are not scheduled for retirement, leaving them with coal stocks in line with historical averages. As of October 2025, Craig had about 116 days of coal supply and F.B. Culley had 87 days. However, the Craig unit has been reported to be currently offline and unable to operate due to needed repairs.

In contrast, Centralia and R.M. Schahfer were down to limited coal stocks by the end of October 2025, with Centralia at an estimated two days of burn and R.M. Schahfer at seven. This is understandable based on plant policies: R.M. Schahfer is planning to convert units 17 and 18 to natural gas, while Centralia must cease coal generation by 2026 under Washington state law.

What’s in store for 2026

Looking ahead, more coal plants will likely have their retirement dates pushed this year, as seven more units totaling nearly 5 GW are set to retire.

Of the 2026 retirements, it remains uncertain whether plans to convert AES Petersburg and Cumberland to natural gas will result in their retirements being delayed further. Based on current trends though, it seems likely that all seven units listed in the graphic above will be getting an emergency order close to their retirement dates.

Even though questions remain about who will ultimately carry the cost of keeping these plants open longer, power plant retirement delays are likely to continue in 2026. While grid operators are not currently facing reliability risks or power shortages, high capacity prices in PJM and continued data center load coming online do showcase a need for more generation. As policies and market pressures evolve, the fate of many coal units will likely hinge on the balance of grid reliability and affordability.

Be sure to check back in with FactSet Energy Insights as we continue to explore energy industry trends.

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