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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteYes—but not uniformly, and not always permanently. Federal emergency orders required several coal units to keep operating beyond planned retirement dates, while some utilities changed their own plans. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), for example, reconsidered retiring its large Cumberland and Kingston coal plants while continuing to plan new gas capacity. Those actions helped delay some closures, but an order to operate for a limited period is not the same as a permanent cancellation of retirement.
What changed in the coal-retirement schedule?
The clearest national measure is the difference between planned and completed retirements. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that 4.6 gigawatts (GW) of U.S. coal-fired capacity retired in 2025—the least since 2008—compared with 8.0 GW anticipated. EIA attributed part of the shortfall to Department of Energy (DOE) emergency orders that temporarily postponed retirements. These are capacity figures, not a count of plants, and the comparison does not mean every delayed unit was kept open by a federal order. EIA’s 2025 retirement report
In a February 2026 schedule snapshot, EIA said 6.4 GW of coal capacity was scheduled to retire during 2026, almost 4% of the coal fleet operating at the end of 2025. That was a reported plan, not a confirmed outcome. EIA identified J.H. Campbell and Cumberland Unit 2 as the largest coal retirements then planned for 2026; its figures were 1,331 megawatts (MW) for Campbell and 1,231 MW for Cumberland Unit 2. EIA’s 2026 retirement schedule analysis
Which coal plants were ordered to stay open?
DOE used emergency authority under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to direct certain units to remain available. EIA’s account of the 2025 delays names the following coal capacity. Its reported schedule changes moved retirements from 2025 into early or mid-2026; the dates shown in the DOE orders were limited operating terms, not permanent extensions.
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| Plant and units | Capacity | What the reported change means |
|---|---|---|
| J.H. Campbell, Michigan, Units 1–3 | 1,331 MW | DOE ordered continued operation beyond the scheduled retirement. A September 2026 court ruling vacated the order at issue; see the legal update below. |
| TransAlta Centralia, Washington, Unit 2 | 670 MW | DOE issued an order, while the operator planned to convert the unit to gas rather than simply retire it as a coal unit. |
| R.M. Schahfer, Indiana, Units 17–18 | 722 MW | DOE ordered continued operation beyond the planned retirement. |
| F.B. Culley, Indiana, Unit 2 | 90 MW | DOE ordered continued operation beyond the planned retirement. |
| Craig, Colorado, Unit 1 | 427 MW | DOE ordered continued operation beyond the planned retirement. |
Capacities and the list of units are from EIA’s account of the emergency-order-related delays. EIA’s 2025 report DOE said its June 2026 Indiana orders ran through September 19, 2026; its Colorado order for Craig Unit 1 ran through September 26, 2026. Those dates describe the terms in the cited orders, not proof of what happened after expiration or whether an order was renewed. DOE’s Indiana order announcement DOE’s Colorado order announcement
Which other retirements were delayed?
Not every delay was a direct result of a DOE order. EIA separately reported delays at Brandon Shores in Maryland, South Oak Creek in Wisconsin, and Comanche in Colorado, totaling 2.2 GW. It also listed these units among retirements postponed from 2025 to 2026 in its February schedule snapshot:
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- South Oak Creek Units 7 and 8: 616 MW.
- Comanche Unit 2: 335 MW.
EIA’s schedule snapshot also listed Campbell, Schahfer, Craig, and Culley among the postponements; their capacities appear in the table above. Taken together, these entries illustrate why a changed closure date should not automatically be described as a presidential order: federal directives, utility planning, and other arrangements can all affect when a unit stops operating. The EIA schedule is based on reported plans, which can change. EIA’s February 2026 schedule analysis
Did TVA cancel plans to close Cumberland and Kingston?
TVA changed its planning direction, but the available filings do not establish that it permanently canceled every scheduled coal retirement. In January 2023, TVA set a two-stage retirement plan for Cumberland’s two coal units: one by the end of 2026 and the other by the end of 2028. Cumberland is TVA’s largest coal-fleet generating asset, with 2,470 MW of gross output. TVA’s Cumberland plant information
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In 2026, TVA reconsidered retirement schedules at Cumberland and Kingston. Its later planning included keeping coal generation at both sites while also developing gas facilities there. TVA filings describe authorization for continued operation at the chief executive’s discretion, subject to applicable laws and regulatory requirements. The distinction matters: this is utility planning alongside replacement generation, not simply a DOE emergency order. TVA’s filed materials document the planning direction; they do not, by themselves, show that every original closure date has been permanently withdrawn. TVA filing on Kingston and Cumberland planning TVA filing on continued-operation authority TVA quarterly filing for the period ended June 30, 2026
In February 2026, the Associated Press reported that TVA cited regulatory changes and rising electricity demand in reconsidering closure dates. The reported proposals retained gas capacity; the Kingston plan also dropped planned solar while retaining coal, gas, and battery elements. These details describe the proposals reported at that time, not a final guarantee about future plant operation. Associated Press report on TVA’s reconsideration
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Are the coal-plant extensions permanent?
No general permanent extension is established by these orders. DOE emergency orders are limited in duration—up to 90 days—and can be reissued. A unit may therefore remain available past its planned retirement date for a period without its owner abandoning retirement plans. Conversely, a utility can revise its long-term schedule independently of a federal order, as TVA’s planning illustrates. To assess an individual plant, distinguish its announced retirement schedule from the terms of any operating order and from the utility’s latest filed plan.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the September 2026 Campbell court ruling change?
In September 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated the DOE emergency order for Michigan’s J.H. Campbell plant. The court ruling addressed that order; it did not mean that every other coal order or utility retirement plan was resolved the same way. The Associated Press reported that Consumers Energy said a subsequent DOE directive kept Campbell operating through mid-November while it reviewed the ruling. So, as of that report, the legal status of the original order and the plant’s immediate operating status were separate questions. Associated Press report on the Campbell ruling
Does an EPA coal-ash deadline extension keep a plant open?
Not on the evidence of the cited proposal. EPA proposed moving the compliance deadline for certain coal-combustion-residual impoundments from October 17, 2028, to October 17, 2031. That was a proposal for a limited group of owners and operators, not a blanket extension for coal plants or a decision to keep generating units online. The cited release does not establish the proposal’s final status or which plants ultimately would be covered. EPA’s proposed compliance-deadline change
Quick Recap
How to read a coal-plant retirement announcement
- Check whether the date is planned or completed. EIA’s retirement schedules report expected dates; an announced date is not proof a unit has closed.
- Identify who changed the schedule. A DOE emergency order, an owner’s planning decision, a grid arrangement, and a conversion project are different mechanisms.
- Read the term and any later action. A time-limited order can expire or be renewed, and a court can alter its legal status.
- Separate replacement plans from retirement decisions. Plans for gas, batteries, solar, or conversion can coexist with coal operation for a time and do not alone establish a final closure date.
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