Pennsylvania’s Biggest Coal Plant, Homer City, Will Shut Down In July

Next month, Pennsylvania’s largest coal-burning power plant will shut down.

The Homer City Generating Station in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, will cease producing power on July 1.

For decades, the 1,800-megawatt plant ran almost continuously. But in recent years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, it became less competitive with new combined-cycle natural gas power plants. 

Last year, the plant ran only 20 percent of the time, down from 82 percent in 2005.

Like the country in general, coal used to be Pennsylvania’s dominant source of electricity. But the shale gas revolution, brought about by hydraulic fracturing, changed that.

Starting next month, Pennsylvania will have five coal-burning power plants left. And all of them are scheduled to be shut down or converted to gas by 2028.