Utility coal conversion: it's happening slowly

Utilities considering coal conversion today must face the high costs of environmental control, uncertainty of coal transportation costs, uncertainty of coal transportation costs, and the increasing cost of coal itself. Government legislation encouraging coal use has not been successful. Some utilities have converted or are in the process of converting to coal on their own, and the Reagan administration is considering reducing the impact of Government legislation and allowing utilities to convert on their own. Coal conversions complete or in progress as of June 1981 are shown in a table, which lists plants with a total capacity of 6281 MWe.