End of an Era:
New England’s Final Coal Plant Powers Down Two Years Early
October 21, 2025. — Susan Greene
In a historic shift for U.S. energy, New England’s last coal-fired power plant has officially gone dark. The closure of Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire, marks the end of coal generation in the region—making New England one of only a few areas in the country to completely eliminate coal from its energy mix. New England now joins the Pacific Northwest, and New York State,, as leaders in the national move toward clean, renewable energy.
The Merrimack Station plant, once one of the region’s largest coal burners, shut down two years ahead of schedule, a move attributed to the abundance of low-cost renewable power and declining demand for fossil fuels. ISO New England reports that more than half of all new power capacity in the region now comes from renewable sources like wind and solar. “This retirement is a watershed moment. The fact that New England’s last coal plant was used very seldom before it was gone for good is a testament to the changing face of electricity generation in the region and the country,” noted John Rogers, Energy Campaign Analytic Lead for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“This retirement is a watershed moment. The fact that New England’s last coal plant was used very seldom before it was gone for good is a testament to the changing face of electricity generation in the region and the country,”
John Rogers — Energy Campaign Analytic Lead, Union of Concerned Scientists.
Environmental groups—including the Sierra Club, Conservation Law Foundation, and Union of Concerned Scientists—played a key role in driving the transition. Through legal actions grounded in the Clean Air Act and sustained community advocacy, these organizations pressured utilities to retire aging, polluting plants. “This historic victory is a testament to the strength and resolve of those who never wavered in the fight for their communities and future,” said Ben Jealous, Sierra Club Executive Director. The closure proves to be a significant victory in the decades-long effort to end coal in New England.
“This historic victory is a testament to the strength and resolve of those who never wavered in the fight for their communities and future,”
Ben Jealous, Sierra Club Executive Director
The Merrimack Station closing two years ahead of schedule also reflects broader economic realities. In the short term, plant shutdowns often lead to significant local disruption — communities face lost jobs, declining tax revenue, and economic hardship as the legacy coal infrastructure winds down. According to recent research, regions transitioning away from coal may initially bear those burdens, but the longer-term horizon points in a different direction: as renewable industries expand, there is an observable trend toward net job growth, economic diversification, and new opportunities for workers in clean-energy sectors.
In New England, the early retirement of the region’s last coal-fired plant suggests that market forces and clean-energy alternatives are accelerating that transition — setting the stage for future growth even as today’s communities navigate the near-term economic adjustment.
Looking ahead, the Merrimack Station site won’t stay idle. Granite Shore Power, which owns the plant, plans to repurpose the property as a renewable energy hub, leveraging existing transmission infrastructure to support offshore wind interconnection and solar development in partnership with the New Hampshire Office of Offshore Wind Industry Development and Energy Innovation.
As one era ends, another begins. From the fading smoke stacks of Bow to the spinning turbines off the Atlantic coast, New England’s energy story has come full circle—from fossil dependence to renewable dominance.