New England's final coal-fired power plant, Merrimack Station in New Hampshire, has closed three years ahead of schedule due to poor economics. The shutdown coincides with federal efforts to revive the coal industry under the Trump administration. The site's owner plans to repurpose it for clean energy projects.
Merrimack Station, a 438-megawatt coal plant that came online in the 1960s, ceased operations ahead of its planned 2028 retirement. Located on a 400-acre site just outside Concord, New Hampshire, the facility provided baseload power to the region for decades but struggled as natural gas—cheaper and more efficient—dominated the market. In 2000, gas-fired plants generated less than 15 percent of New England's electricity; by last year, they produced more than half. Solar power production accelerated from 2010, reducing daytime grid demand and creating evening peaks that coal plants, which ramp up slowly, could not economically meet.
In recent years, Merrimack operated only a few weeks annually and generated just 0.22 percent of the region's electricity in 2024. "Coal has been incredibly challenged in the New England market for over a decade," said Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association. The closure is emblematic of the ongoing transition in New England's generation fleet, driven by these market factors.
Granite Shore Power, the owner, announced the shutdown in March 2024 as part of a settlement for a Clean Water Act lawsuit. The agreement also requires closing the smaller Schiller plant in Portsmouth by the end of 2025, which hasn't burned coal since 2020. The company had proposed redeveloping the Merrimack site with a 120-megawatt solar and battery storage system, leveraging existing infrastructure. In a statement, Granite Shore Power said it continues to consider all opportunities for redevelopment.
The closure occurred on the same day the Trump administration announced plans to open millions of acres of federal land to coal mining and invest $625 million in upgrades for existing plants. It has also extended closures at facilities like the J.H. Campbell plant in Michigan and released a blueprint to roll back coal regulations. Despite these efforts, the New Hampshire shutdown highlights economic realities overriding federal support.
"The end of coal is real, and it is here," said Catherine Corkery, chapter director for Sierra Club New Hampshire. "We're really excited about the next chapter." Advocates remain optimistic about the site's clean energy future, though federal policy changes could influence plans. "This is progress—there's no doubt the math is there," Corkery added.