The Largest Coal-Fired Power Plant in New England Is Shutting Down

The second-biggest carbon dioxide emitter in the state of Massachusetts will retire and no longer provide power as of May 2017.  The Brayton Point Power Station near the town of Somerset — the largest of six coal-fired facilities in New England — is owned by Dominion, which filed the retirement paperwork on Monday.

Despite its physical size, the Brayton Point station is only the second dirtiest plant in Massachusetts in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, at 3.26 million tons in 2011.  The honor of dirtiest plant in the state went to the Mystic Generating Station, at 3.64 million tons.  And neither plant even made it on to the list of the United States’ 100 dirtiest plants, compiled by a recent Environment America Report.

That so many dirty plants remain in operation means there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit in terms of cutting the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions.

The Largest Coal-Fired Power Plant in New England Is Shutting Down