The coal industry ended the Sixties in a cheering mood as it watched nuclear plant orders fall far behind the previous two years. It also grew optimistic as con servationists began probing into possible thermal effects of nuclear plants and youth groups started to single out nuclear power as a target akin to napalm.

But the industry had other reasons for cheering:

At least 10 major new plants are being considered planned or under construc tion in the Western states, region almost without coal fired generating stations These plants are expected to have a total capacity of more than 18.9 million kilowatts and would burn an estimated 47 million tons of coal a year. They would be situated it California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wy oming, Idaho and Washing ton.

The National Coal Associa tion's economics committee released a study showing that for at least the next three years, more new electric pow er plants will be built in this country to burn coal than to use any other fuel. This would assure the dominance of coal as the power behind electric power at least through 1972.

Plant Usage

The trade association point ed out that of all new gener ating units that began pro ducing electricity last year, just over half were fueled with coal; 16.3 per cent used oil or gas; 10.4 per cent nu clear, and 22.8 per cent were split among other energy sources including water pow er gas turbines and internal combustion engines.