New England’s Last Coal-Fired Power Plants to Close Under EPA Renewables Deal

Steam rises from a power plant in Adamsville, Alabama, on April 13, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFT via Getty Images

New England’s last coal-fired power plants will permanently close within the next four years, parent company Granite Shore Power announced on March 27.

The voluntary shutdown of operations at Merrimack Station—which initially began operating in the 1960s—will take place by 2028 as part of an agreement reached with environmental groups and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Granite Shore Power will also stop operating Schiller Station in Portsmouth, the company said. That station, which has been operating since the 1950s, will be closed by 2025.

The two sites will be repurposed and transitioned into “first-of-their-kind” clean energy facilities, or “renewable energy parks,” as part of the region’s renewable energy efforts, the company said.

Under the repurposing plan, Schiller Station will host a battery energy storage system that will take energy from the grid during low demand and put it back on the grid during high demand periods.

“Schiller is on the seacoast and will be integral in supporting reliability daily during peak hours and storage for the wind power that is now being built off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and in the Gulf of Maine,” the company explained.

Environmental Groups File Lawsuit

Merrimack Station is expected to host around 100 megawatts of solar, according to reports.

The repurposing of the stations will also facilitate “exciting new economic growth,” a spokesperson from Granite Shore Power said.

The planned closures are part of an agreement with the EPA after the environmental organization Sierra Club and The Conservation Law Foundation filed lawsuits against Granite Shore Power under the Clean Water Act.

In their lawsuits (pdf), the groups argued Granite Shore Power was harming the local ecosystem and violating a 2016 permit from the EPA that limited how much heated water it could discharge into a six-mile stretch of the Merrimack River.

In December, Judge Joseph LaPlante of the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire ruled in favor of the power plants, saying the burden of proof falls upon the Sierra Club and Conservation Law Foundation.

That ruling is currently being appealed by the environmental groups.

‘Victory for Health, Clean Air’

Jim Andrews, CEO of Granite Shore Power, said, “From our earliest days as owners and operators, we have been crystal clear; while our power occasionally is still on during New England’s warmest days and coldest nights, we were firmly committed to transitioning our facilities away from coal and into a newer, cleaner energy future. By pursuing and ultimately entering into this voluntary agreement with the U.S. EPA, we are keeping that commitment.”

Environmental groups welcomed the announcement, with the Conservation Law Foundation calling it a “victory for health, clean air and water, and the climate.”

“The end of coal in New Hampshire, and for the New England region as a whole, is now certain and in sight,” said Tom Irwin, vice president of the foundation. “Now we must vigorously push for the phaseout of other polluting fuels like oil and gas. New England is positioned to be a leader in building a future where our energy comes from 100% clean sources, and fossil fuels no longer pollute the climate and threaten the health of our communities.”

The Sierra Club said the closures marked a “historic victory,” and said particulate matter (PM) at Merrimack Station allegedly exceeded EPA limits by 70 percent in February 2023.

“The people of New Hampshire and all of New England will soon breathe cleaner air and drink safer water, and I’m incredibly proud to see the region continue to grow as a leader in the clean energy transition,” said Ben Jealous, Sierra Club’s executive director.

New Hampshire will become the 16th coal-free state in the nation, according to the Sierra Club.