The largest consumer of Wyoming coal is projecting a shift to solar in the next 15 years.
Texas consumed 58 million tons of Wyoming coal in 2014, more than any other state, but many of that state’s coal fired power plants are headed for retirement, and Texas’ grid operator anticipates those will be replaced with solar power.
It’s hard to say exactly how much less Wyoming coal the Lone Star state would import if that happens, but it could be tens of millions of tons a year. Coal demand in Texas has already fallen by 16 percent since 2007.
The grid operator’s projections show solar and wind each making up roughly 15 percent of Texas’ electricity supply in 2031. In all the scenarios, natural gas remains the state’s largest source of electricity.