End of An Era–WA State’s Only Coal Plant to Close Forever Soon

Trans Alta operated the plant in Centralia, but now it will shut down for good.

   The plant will shutter, 72 jobs gone

When it was operating at its peak the Trans Alta coal-fired plants could produce enough power to serve at least 584,000 homes. It began operations in 1972.

In 2011, after pressure from environmental groups and some in the state legislature, Trans Alta agreed to phase out the plant. Unit 1 shut down five years ago, and Unit 2 will close by December 31st of this year. The plant generated enough energy to power the city of Los Angeles.

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The plant, however, only provided 2.8 percent of the state's overall power supply. But with the closure, 72 jobs will go away, according to a WARN Alert from WA Employment Security.  Trans Alta donated $55 million over the last few years to help with economic transition.

The jobs will begin to be phased out starting January 5th of 2026. The land will be decommissioned, environmental studies done and it's likely it will be years before any of the so-called economic transition involving  the actual site will begin.

The EPA says as of fall 2025, there are 227 coal-fired plants in the US.  Trans Alta was the only such plant in WA state, its demise sped up by environmental attacks on the  industry, despite advancements in cleaner-burning coal and smoke emission controls.