This technical primer describes how coal-fired power plants work and how they can “cofire” natural gas alongside coal, supporting the case that natural gas cofiring is a practical, low-cost tool for reducing emissions from existing coal plants. It walks through the basics of a coal boiler, from burning fuel to generating steam to producing electricity. Every coal plant already burns some natural gas during startup, and many can be modified – often at low cost – to burn much higher levels of natural gas during normal operation. This primer describes how cofiring affects plant efficiency (with modest gains or losses depending on coal type) while reducing maintenance needs and pollution, and it compares the economics of cofiring at an existing coal plant to building a new natural gas plant, finding cofiring can be the more cost-effective option in many cases.
Author: Andover Technology Partners (James Staudt)
This resource was commissioned by or produced by staff of the Center for Applied Environmental Law and Policy before the organization rebranded as Ridgeline Center for Law and Policy in 2026.