Trump to boost coal, nuke facilities

President Trump ordered his energy secretary to take immediate action to stem power plant closures, arguing that a decline in coal and nuclear electricity is putting the nation’s security at risk.

“Impending retirements of fuel-secure power facilities are leading to a rapid depletion of a critical part of our nation’s energy mix and impacting the resilience of our power grid,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Friday. Trump has directed Secretary Rick Perry “to prepare immediate steps to stop the loss of these resources and looks forward to his recommendations.”

Trump’s directive comes as administration officials search for ways to extend the life of money-losing coal and nuclear power plants that are at risk of closing due to competition from cheaper natural gas and renewable energy.

Under the Energy Department strategy, outlined in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News, the administration would invoke national defense — using authority granted under a pair of federal laws — to establish a “strategic electric generation reserve” and compel grid operators to buy electricity from at-risk plants.

Administration officials are still weighing the best approach. But opponents of the proposal contend the intervention is a solution in search of a problem.

“There is no need for any such drastic action,” the company said PJM Interconnection, a major grid operator. “Any federal intervention in the market to order customers to buy electricity from specific power plants would be damaging to the markets and therefore costly to consumers.”