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Guest columnist: Utilities relying more on natural gas plants
The State Journal
September 11, 2024
By Donna Kemp Spangler
Kenya Stump, an executive with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for over 17 years, has seen the volatility of coal as an energy source: shrinking demand, plant closures, job losses and tougher pollution controls.
Utilities have responded to that pressure by relying more on natural gas plants because they are cheaper and cleaner than coal. Kentucky is also home to other energy-intensive manufacturing processes and a growing commercial sector.
“We don’t want to be left with gas as our only baseload resource,” Stump said. “Therefore, we are driven to look to nuclear if we are forced to move away from coal.”
Kenya Stump, an executive with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for over 17 years, has seen the volatility of coal as an energy source: shrinking demand, plant closures, job losses and tougher pollution controls.
Utilities have responded to that pressure by relying more on natural gas plants because they are cheaper and cleaner than coal. Kentucky is also home to other energy-intensive manufacturing processes and a growing commercial sector.
“We don’t want to be left with gas as our only baseload resource,” Stump said. “Therefore, we are driven to look to nuclear if we are forced to move away from coal.”
Donna Kemp Spangler