The deactivation of Merrimack Station is a milestone moment for clean energy and public health. Photo: Alex MacLean
October 2, 2025 (Concord, NH) – In a milestone moment for clean energy and public health, the last remaining coal-fired power plant in New England is being deactivated, ahead of schedule, marking the official end of coal in the region’s electric grid. The shutdown comes even as the Trump administration spends hundreds of millions of dollars on propping up aging coal infrastructure elsewhere in the country.
“Merrimack Station is no longer operating, and with that, dirty coal-fired power is history in New England,” said Tom Irwin, Conservation Law Foundation Vice President for New Hampshire. “Coal is done here, but we’re not finished. Now we must accelerate investments in clean, affordable energy that protects our health, our climate, and our wallets.”
The shutdown of Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire, follows a settlement reached between Granite Shore Power, Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agreement set a timeline for retiring the plants’ coal-burning units by no later than June 1, 2028. The company has said it will transition the plants into clean energy facilities that include battery storage systems.
Two decades ago, a fifth of New England’s electricity came from coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Through lawsuits, market-based strategies, and other actions, CLF has worked to shutter aging, polluting coal plants across the region and end New England’s reliance on coal.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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