Winter has arrived. And regional electricity grids are ramping up generation to meet high demand. Electricity prices in some regions are already soaring. But not everywhere. Notably, there's a sharp divide emerging on affordability between the grids that have access to coal generation and those that don't. When bitter cold recently descended across much of the country, prices in New England and New York soared while prices on the PJM grid, and, notably, the MISO grid covering much of the Midwest, largely shrugged off the cold. On the MISO grid – the only of the four where coal capacity still shoulders the majority of winter power demand – prices remained remarkably low. In fact, prices in New England were ten times higher. For both energy affordability and grid reliability, dispatchable fuel optionality is key. The lack of optionality in New York and New England – where both grids have eliminated their coal capacity – is proving a woefully expensive mistake. That's your mining minute for this morning. Tune in for more from NMA TV.