Washington, D.C. – America’s Power released a new video today highlighting the vital importance of America’s coal resources and supply chain. The video features Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Laura Swett and Commissioner Lindsay See, along with key staff, during a visit hosted by Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and American Electric Power (AEP).
The visit gave federal energy regulators a firsthand look at how coal moves from the mine to the electric grid, beginning underground at Alliance’s Tunnel Ridge Mine and continuing to AEP’s John E. Amos Power Plant.
“Coal powered base load generation provided about a quarter of generation at the height of the winter storms that we faced, and that means that it saved Americans’ lives,” Chairman Swett said. “Our power markets cannot survive without that type of dispatchable generation.”
As background, Tunnel Ridge produces coal from the historic Pittsburgh No. 8 seam. Its preparation plant has the capacity to process 2,000 tons of raw coal per hour.
John E. Amos is a three-unit coal-fired power plant with roughly 2,900 megawatts of generating capacity. It’s one of the largest coal-fired plants in the country and an integral power source for the PJM region.
“Coal adds incredible value to our system when it comes to reliability and to help with affordability in our country,” Commissioner See said. “It’s really important for us to be able to see on the ground what that looks like, all of the work, energy and effort that it takes.”
America’s Power thanks Alliance Resource Partners and AEP for hosting this visit and for their continued work supporting the coal supply chain and dependable baseload generation.
Watch the full video to learn why coal remains essential to a reliable, affordable, and fuel-secure electric grid: American Coal: From the Mine to the Grid