The southeast doesn't need new coal plants for additional energy, because we can increase energy efficiency instead:

An aggressive strategy to replace aging equipment with more energy efficient products throughout the South would reduce the need to build more coal-fired power plants in the region through 2020, according to a Georgia Tech study released Monday. Advocates are taking the study, funded by the Energy Foundation and the Turner Foundation, to state legislators and regulatory agencies hoping it will bolster their calls for more incentives for energy efficient products as an alternative to new power plants.

“We’re not saying that new plants aren’t needed, because new plants can replace old clunkers that need to be replaced,” said Marilyn Brown, a Georgia Tech professor who co-authored the report. “But we don’t need to build for an expanded demand if the Southern states would begin to launch energy efficient programs.”

This isn't enough to decommission the existing coal plants; for that we'll need other sources of energy. But it's a step in the right direction.