Retha Mattern
Executive Director of Public Engagement
Lignite Energy Council
701.355.2192
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2025
BISMARCK, N.D. – A new report released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week delivers a clear and urgent warning: without a dependable supply of baseload electricity from resources like coal, the nation’s power grid faces the risk of widespread, recurring blackouts by 2030.
The report, Evaluating U.S. Grid Reliability and Security, highlights deepening reliability gaps across the country, particularly in regional grids like MISO and SPP that serve North Dakota. In the DOE’s worst-case modeling, up to 19% of peak winter demand in SPP could go unmet. Those shortfalls are the most severe during cold snaps, when electricity demand soars and intermittent sources underperform, putting lives and property at risk.
“The Department of Energy’s findings validate what we’ve known in North Dakota for a long time: baseload generation isn’t just important — it’s essential,” said Jonathan Fortner, Interim President and CEO of the Lignite Energy Council. “Our member utilities are committed to keeping our coal-based power plants online, but those plants must be properly valued in the electricity marketplace for the resilience and reliability they provide. Right now, that critical resource attribute isn’t being compensated, and that puts the entire grid at risk.”
Despite large increases in renewable capacity, the DOE found that grid stability will continue to decline unless more dispatchable, baseload generation is added. Of the 209,000 megawatts of new capacity expected by 2030, only about 10% of them will come from sources that can operate on demand. That mismatch is expected to worsen as new electricity loads are added, especially as new energy demands surge from AI data centers, industrial manufacturing, and population growth, leaving the grid vulnerable to volatility.
Coal-based power provides exactly the type of steady, on-site generation that the DOE says is needed to prevent grid failure. Without it, grid operators are forced to rely on expensive imports, which drive up electric rates and strain household budgets.
“These power plants are not only vital to grid reliability, they are critical to North Dakota’s economy,” Fortner added. “They support thousands of good-paying jobs and are a major reason why North Dakotans enjoy some of the most affordable electricity rates in the country. Reliable electricity is the backbone of our economy and way of life. Preserving the baseload plants we have today is essential, because when demand spikes and other resources can’t deliver, coal-based power is still there, and it needs to be recognized and compensated for that role.”
The risks outlined in the DOE report align with past findings from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and regional planning studies, including a MISO transmission study commissioned by North Dakota’s Lignite Research Program.
About the Lignite Energy Council
The Lignite Energy Council, the voice for North Dakota’s coal industry, is a regional trade association representing lignite producers, electric utilities, and more than 200 businesses that supply goods and services to the mines and plants. The Council plays a vital role in supporting an industry that generates approximately $5.5 billion in gross business volume annually and contributes $100 million in state and local tax revenues. The lignite industry also facilitates nearly 12,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state, strengthening North Dakota’s economy and energy landscape.
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