A total of 16.0 GW was shuttered permanently in the U.S. in 2022, up 50.7% from the 10.6 GW retired in 2021, an analysis of S&P Global Market Intelligence data compiled Jan. 11 showed.

Coal-fired resources continued to account for the bulk of the retired capacity, with a 75.8% share of the total, equivalent to 12.1 GW. Gas-fired capacity retirements were 2.5 GW, or 15.4%, of the total. Nuclear capacity made up 5.1% of shuttered capacity, wholly attributable to the May 2022 shutdown of Entergy Corp.'s 815.6-MW Palisades facility in Van Buren County, Mich.

The Palisades nuclear plant entered service in 1971. Its retirement and subsequent transfer of ownership to Holtec International Inc. for decommissioning marked the completion of Entergy's planned exit from the merchant nuclear power business.

The PJM Interconnection LLC market had the largest retired capacity in 2022, totaling 6,105 MW, of which coal-fired resources made up the lion's share at 5,402 MW. PJM's coal retirements included Vistra Corp.'s 1,333-MW W.H. Zimmer plant in Clermont County, Ohio, and GenOn Holdings Inc.'s 1,205-MW Morgantown plant in Charles County, Md. Both facilities shuttered in the second quarter, with operators citing unfavorable economic conditions among the factors for the retirements.

In the Midcontinent ISO, retirements totaled 5,174 MW, roughly two-thirds of which were attributable to coal. That includes four units at DTE Energy Co.'s St Clair coal-fired plant in Saint Clair County, Mich., with a combined capacity of 1,100 MW, as well as six units with a total capacity of 1,002 MW at the Joppa Steam coal-fired plant in Massac County, Ill., jointly owned by Vistra and PPL Corp. Ameren Corp. also shuttered in December 2022 its Meramec plant in Saint Louis County, Mo., comprising two coal-fired units totaling 621 MW and two gas-fired units with a combined capacity of 256 MW.

The largest power plant shuttered during the year was the 1,744-MW Wansley coal-fired facility in Heard County, Ga. Wansley, which entered service in 1976 and was retired in August 2022, is jointly owned by Southern Co., Oglethorpe Power Corp., the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton City, Ga. Its retirement accounts for almost half of the 3,650 MW of capacity permanently shuttered in areas outside an independent system operator.

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