US Coal Power Plant Emissions and PM2.5 Nonattainment Analysis

An analysis of coal-fired Electric Generating Units (EGUs) contributions to PM2.5 concentrations and health impacts in the context of the 2024 EPA standard revision. The dataset likely contains modeled contributions from specific facilities, emissions reductions scenarios, and associated health benefits. Munshi Md Rasel published the data on figshare in May 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify high-impact coal facilities for targeted emissions reductions based on modeled PM2.5 contributions.
• Evaluate the public health benefits of facility retirements based on estimated avoided premature deaths.
• Assess the feasibility of meeting revised PM2.5 standards through sector-specific strategies.
• Analyze the trade-offs between emissions reductions (SO2, NOx, CO2) and power generation capacity loss.

Strengths

• Analysis is grounded in specific regulatory context: the 2024 EPA revision of the PM2.5 standard to 9 μg/m³.
• Provides concrete modeled outcomes: eliminating SO2 emissions at 94 facilities could help 9 counties meet the standard.
• Includes quantified health and emissions impacts: 1,170 premature deaths avoided annually and reductions of 500,000 tons SO2, 304,000 tons NOx, and 485 million tons CO2.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is 38.6 KB, indicating a very limited scope and likely summary-level results rather than granular raw data.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Analysis uses a chemical transport model and a reduced complexity air quality model.

Time Range

Analysis references 2023 data and the 2024 EPA standard revision.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 21:03:26; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United States, focusing on nonattainment counties.