(File Photo: Caption for Photo: Coal used to play a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. Altough modern plants are much more efficient than before, it is a very polluting form of electricity.)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Utility providers foresee a big rise in electricity demand that could mean double-digit rate hikes if it’s met with new gas-fired power plants, according to a new report. PJM is the nonprofit independent system that manages the power grid in Pennsylvania and 12 other states. It forecasts the need for 67 more gigawatts by 2039. Sean O’Leary at the Ohio River Valley Institute says relying on natural gas for that power could drive up Pennsylvania’s rates faster than the national average. He says addressing the climate impacts of increased carbon emissions later could make costs skyrocket even more. O’Leary says PJM anticipates needing around 100 gigawatts of new capacity, combining 30 gigawatts of retiring coal and older gas plants with additional demand that equates to about two-thirds of the system’s current generation capacity.