How coal’s decline complicates an Appalachian utility’s transition to clean energy

Energy News Network: As a utility in Appalachian coal country seeks to add more renewable energy, the long-term decline of the industry that once made the region prosperous is a complicating factor.

Appalachian Power (APCo), whose territory includes parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, has had to close older coal-fired power plants due to federal clean air regulations, but still has enough capacity that regulators won’t allow it to make big investments in cleaner alternatives, either.

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