Interesting findings in a new report from Black & Veatch, the engineering and construction firm that recently said it would no longer do any new coal projects. Their survey of North American power sector stakeholders makes it pretty clear why. 1/ https://www.bv.com/2020-strategic-directions-electric-report

For one, B&V's survey of 600+ North American power sector stakeholders revealed only 10.1% of participants see both coal and natural gas remaining important components of the grid beyond 2035. 2/

While 13.5% of respondents said new generation capacity investments in coal would be "somewhat" the same as their investment today over the next five years, 83.7% said it would be less, including 60.1% saying it would be "much less." 3/

Only 3.6% of respondents to the survey said they expect more plant improvement capital to be allocated to coal-fired power in the next five years. 70.7% said it would be less. 4/

For those not familiar, coal plants — like many large industrial facilities — very much do not improve with age. This is especially true if you aren't investing much in them. 5/

Fwiw, this survey was conducted pre-US election over the summer. And just as a reminder, nearly no one in the U.S. is expecting to build a new coal plant soon. Recent retirement trends will likely continue as existing plants only continue to age: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/coal-sees-diminished-role-in-us-presidential-race-with-odds-slim-for-new-plants-61025223 /end