Grid watchdog’s finding that natural gas is reliable could undermine Rick Perry’s coal plan

Published November 14, 2017 10:30pm ET



The nation’s grid reliability watchdog issued a report Tuesday that could undermine the Trump administration’s push to prop up coal and nuclear plants by showing that natural gas can increasingly be relied upon for reliable electricity production even when faced with extreme weather events.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s study recommended that policymakers look to bolster the reliability of natural gas-fired power plants, especially as coal and nuclear plants face premature retirements. It found that the fuel supplies for natural gas plants have become more diversified and resilient to outages, with less concern being raised over widespread outages because of the nation’s shift from coal to natural gas.

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