Report: Trump Administration’s Orders to Keep Coal-fired Power Plants Running Could Cost Consumers between $3-6 Billion a Year

August 15, 2025

Washington, D.C. — If the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mandates that the large fossil fuel power plants scheduled to retire between now and the end of 2028 continue to operate, the cost to ratepayers could exceed $3.1 billion per year. If DOE issues similar orders for additional older fossil plants, the cost could reach nearly $6 billion per year, according to an independent analysis prepared by Grid Strategies for Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Sierra Club.

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