Older plants are being supplanted by newer power plants fired by natural gas, as well as wind and solar farms
By Russell Gold | The Wall Street Journal
As coal and nuclear power plants around the U.S. close due to competitive pressures, the number of people employed in making electricity is shrinking.
Older power plants are being retired at an unprecedented pace as power producers wage a fierce fight for market share. They are being supplanted by newer power plants fired by natural gas, as well as wind and solar farms, which often are simpler to operate and require fewer workers.
The Center for Energy Workforce Development, a group backed by six major utility industry groups, estimates that total direct utility employment has fallen to 505,000 from 550,000 since 2006. That is eroding a stable source of well-paying jobs, especially in rural areas, and generating local political pressure at a time when President Donald Trump has made blue-collar job retention a major issue.
Many industry leaders believe the shift is inevitable.
