One way to boost coal in the US: Find a spot near a mine with no access to oil or natural gas pipelines, where it’s not particularly windy and it’s dark much of the year.
That’s how the first coal-fired plant to open in the US since 2015 bucked the trend in an industry that’s seen scores of facilities close in recent years. A 17-MW generator, built for $245-million, is set to open in April at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, just 100 miles from the state’s only coal mine.