In May, solar power generated more electricity than coal for the first time in American history. Utilities across the country are retiring expensive coal plants and replacing them with cheaper, cleaner renewable alternatives. Orlando should be doing the same. OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) decided years ago that its oldest coal-fired electric generating unit, Stanton 1, had reached the end of its useful life, and its board voted to retire it by 2025. Instead, OUC pushed back the retirement deadline, and now the Department of Energy (DOE) unilaterally issued two emergency orders requiring the 39-year-old coal plant to keep running at least until Nov. 30.
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But there is no emergency. Orlando doesn’t need to burn coal to keep lights on for residents or local businesses; it only needs coal if we allow massive data centers to set up shop in our communities. The DOE orders explicitly state that new data centers are projected to be the largest source of new electricity demand. Luckily, Orange County Commissioners might do something about it. On Tuesday, commissioners will discuss a proposed moratorium on new data-center construction. It will be much harder for the DOE to argue that we need to keep burning coal if plans for new data centers are paused or canceled.
The Sierra Club estimates that it’s costing OUC customers over $6 million per month to keep Stanton’s coal plant operating and resulting in 45 premature deaths each year due to air pollution. If the Trump administration keeps issuing emergency orders, OUC customers could bear Stanton’s costs through the end of 2028. In addition to needing an Orange County mayor and commission that will stand up to big tech companies driving new electricity demand, we need City of Orlando leaders that will fight to address electricity supply.
City leaders and the OUC Board can increase electricity supply by expanding solar and battery capacity. Only about 10% of the city’s electricity comes from solar power. By rapidly doubling or tripling its solar capacity, OUC could make burning coal unnecessary. Unlike fossil fuels, solar power has no fuel cost, helping protect OUC customers from the price swings that come with natural gas and coal.
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Right now, OUC is moving in the opposite direction. Before the Trump administration stepped in, OUC missed two self-imposed deadlines for shutting down Stanton 1. In late 2024, OUC disincentivized new residential solar installations by cutting fair payments to families that supply extra power to the grid. Additionally, OUC is actively preparing to convert its other coal-fired electric generating unit, Stanton 2, into a gas-powered unit next year. That would mean replacing one dirty fossil fuel with another polluting fossil fuel, while the cheaper, cleaner alternative is further delayed. Instead of locking Orlando into another generation of fossil-fuel dependence, OUC should be scaling up solar and batteries.
This will ultimately come down to local leadership. The Trump administration may have forced Stanton 1 to stay open for now, but it won’t decide Orlando’s energy future forever. Together, Orange County and Orlando leaders have the tools to manage rapid growth in electricity demand while increasing solar supply. That remains a local decision.
Raymer Maguire is vice president of campaigns at The CLEO Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to climate education and advocacy. An Orlando native, he lives in Pompano Beach.
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