But while the SCC moved to approve AEPs recovery of costs related to the federal Coal Combustion and Residuals (CCR), the commission denied about $4.2 million of expenses AEP had proposed for projects that would help the plants comply with the ELG rule. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Great place to work. Its three power units released 10.8 million tons of earth-warming carbon dioxide last year or the equivalent of more than 2 million cars driven for a year government records show. The early and simultaneous retirement of nearly two-thirds of the companys capacity would expose the company and our customers to an imprudent level of uncertainty and market volatility, she said. Editorial: Two power plants' future becomes uncertain. "We put so much clean energy, clean stuff on [the plant]. Appalachian Power is supposed to report the results of its study before the end of 2022. "We understand the energy grid is in transition, but we also believe it's critical to heighten the level of awareness about how a transition away from dispatchable resources like coal can adversely impact system reliability and resilience," Bloodworth said. As POWER has reported, however, plant economics are a major factor in AEPs spate of recently announced closures. Depending on post working, duties vary slightly. I'm not a scientist, but I just don't believe it," said Mayor Kay Summers of Clendenin, a Republican elected two years ago to champion the rebuilding. In addition to avoiding replacement capacity costs, the plants also serve to protect customers from potentially volatile energy costs, with energy being the actual amount of electricity used from whatever source. It retired its Philip Sporn power plant in Mason County and its Kanawha River Power Plant in Kanawha County in 2015. The SCCs order is a new setback for Appalachian Power, which has said cost recovery of CCR and ELG retrofits at the plants would allow their generating units to provide crucially needed capacity and energy value to the utilitys customers in Virginia and West Virginia through 2040. For more than four decades, the plant, now Appalachian. Now comes the hard part as Putnam and Mason counties wait for the study results and for the involved interest groups the bureaucracy, politicians, environmental groups, the coal industry and others to weigh in and prepare for battle. Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates. The other two would close in five years. Request WVPB Education to attend or host an event! 2 Logan, Walk-off hit by Brumfield sends No. It is possible that West Virginia customers could have to cover the costs of the entire retrofits for all three plants, she said. Three States Will Decide Their Fate. West Virginia Coal Plants Need Upgrades. Three States Will Decide Their The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on Aug. 23 rattled American Electric Power's (AEP's) plans to operate the 2.9-GW John Amos and 1.3-GW Mountaineer coal power plants through 2040 . It seemed like there was more flooding," he said. The order also directs Kentucky Power to provide the journal entries recorded when Kentucky Power acquired Mitchell and Mitchells remaining net book value, including all plant accounts and asset retirement obligations, as of the most recent month for which records are available, the PSC said in a statement. Still churning electricity to West Virginia and beyond , in spite of pressure from Kentuckys then-Gov. Appalachian Power may have used the rate process in Virginia to begin the process of accelerating its move toward natural gas and renewables at the expense of coal. Both plants handle part of Appalachian Powers baseload needs in Virginia and West Virginia, so their output would have to be replaced with a dependable source. Appalachian Power, the AEP subsidiary that owns the two plants. "Utilities will have to find a way to manage that risk," Miller said. If the commission denies the request to upgrade the three plants, they would close in 2028. At the start of 2015, the nation's coal fleet totaled 285.6 GW of capacity, according to Market Intelligence data. Absolutely. Chance of rain 50%.. Our next steps will be to evaluate our options in light of those orders, determine the best path forward to meet the resource needs in each state, and return to the commissions if necessary for consideration of our updated costs and plans, a spokesperson said. "What nobody is talking about is the fact natural gas prices are now over $3 and absent a CO2 tax, a scrubbed coal plant can come close to competing with a gas plant, so maybe coal plant retirements continue but actually slow down," DeVries said. Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting Listen By 2026, half of U.S. coal plant capacity will have retired over the course of just 15 years. Closing the Amos plant alone in 2028 could save $1.4 billion, the Sierra Club's analysis found. Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch The John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County, W.Va., Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008. It sold the Gavin plant at Cheshire, Ohio, a few years ago, and it has announced plans to reduce output at its large plant at Rockport, Indiana. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. AEP has committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and obtaining more of its power from renewable resources while also divesting itself of much of its coal-powered generating fleet. The John Amos plant was included in this list, as it has not been inspected by the state in at least 10 years. The rules require power plants to reduce. The model predicts one of Mitchell's two units would close in two years, and the other in three. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Inside and outside our model, 2040 is hard to imagine, said Scott Holladay, an associate professor of economics at the University of Tennessee. Mayor Kay Summers of Clendenin, West Virginia, says she's haunted by the historic 2016 flood that nearly wiped out her town but still skeptical of the science around climate change. The West Virginia Public Service Commission must decide in the coming weeks whether to approve an environmental compliance surcharge on electricity customers. The model predicts one of Mitchells two units would close in two years, and the other in three. A couple of large coal-fired power plants in this area could be retired ahead of schedule. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. WV Coal Industry Sees Threat in Appalachian Power-Sierra Club Agreement "Every time it rains and storms, I'm lying awake at night. However, coal plants are also increasingly uneconomic compared to alternatives in some places, and at the same time, increased scrutiny on sustainability is driving corporate decisions to retire more coal. . The cost of wind and solar have plummeted in recent years. The John E. Amos Power Plant near Winfield, West Virginia, is being studied for early retirement, along with the Mountaineer Power Plant near New Haven, West Virginia. - February 4, 2022. The John Amos power plant in Winfield, West Virginia, burns up to 27,000 tons of Appalachian coal each day to power more than 2 million homes and businesses across 3 states. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. At the John E. Amos Power Plant, we helped AEP develop an innovative design that would cover, close, and restore the existing 170-acre ash pond. Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power have told state regulators that 2028 is the earliest date the plants would close, three years after Holladays model forecasts they could close. Sponsor impactful and engaging media and entertainment. What happened in Virginia is a complicated situation, but in simple terms, Appalachian Power wanted a rate increase there, but the Sierra Club opposed it. . Amos, a 2,930-MW coal plant located near the Kanawha River in Putnam County, West Virginia, is the AEP systems largest generating plant. The plant burns up to 27,000 tons of coal a day during peak season, drawing on daily shipments of regional coal delivered by barge and by rail. racist or sexually-oriented language. Theyve also embraced renewables. At John Amos Power Plant, Manchin Vows to Oppose New - Senate The state's largest coal-fired power facility -- the John Amos plant in Winfield, West Virginia -- sits 40 miles west of Clendenin along the Kanawha River. Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power did not prudently manage their coal supplies in 2021 and 2022, leading to shortages of fuel and higher electricity costs, a consulting group has concluded. accounts, the history behind an article. A carbon tax puts a price on climate-changing greenhouse emissions, encouraging a shift toward cleaner energy. Sonal Patelis a POWER senior associate editor (@sonalcpatel,@POWERmagazine). If we instead retired one or both of the plants, we would have to spend billions of dollars on replacement capacity much earlier than necessary. As noted here before, the coal-fired fleet in this region is expected to reach its scheduled retirement age sometime around 2040. The John Amos Plant has a nameplate rating of 2,933 MW, making it the largest generating plant in the AEP system. Now comes the hard part as Putnam and Mason counties wait for the study results and for the involved interest groups the bureaucracy, politicians, environmental groups, the coal industry and others to weigh in and prepare for battle. The company, like other U.S. coal generators, is grappling with refining cost estimates of complying with environmental rules against a number of factors. Fate Of West Virginia Coal Plants May Rest With Virginia Regulators Coal is falling out of favor to lower-carbon or no-carbon sources of electric power in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. In addition, Vistra Corp. said July 19 that it plans to shut down the 1,333-MW W.H. She says the legal fight over coal draws attention from a need to diversify the state's energy portfolio. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC)on Aug. 23 rattled American Electric Powers (AEPs) plans to operate the 2.9-GW John Amos and 1.3-GW Mountaineer coal power plants through 2040 when it partly denied cost recovery for expenses that the West Virginia plants need to comply with the federal Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) rule. At the Virginia SCC, Appalachian Power had argued its proposed investments for specific projects at the Amos and Mountaineer plants were the most cost-effective means of compliance with the federal CCR and ELG rules. But in October 2020, the Trump administration, On July 26, meanwhile, the Biden administration, AEPs decision to retrofit Amos and Mountaineer for ELG compliance builds on the 2020 rule, which establishes. State regulators are under pressure from lawmakers and coal industry supporters to prevent the plants from closing. Nominate an Exceptional West Virginia Teacher! "The impact here is going to be increased mining, increased pollution," said Gunnoe. Coal ash disposal sites around the region pose environmental and health risks. And even 2030 is feeling optimistic at this point, for sure.. Still, power customers will have to pay those costs whenever the plants shut down. Regulations drove some retirements, such as a wave of 2015 closures related to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics rule. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. CreditSights analyst Andrew DeVries said industry observers are expecting an acceleration of coal plant retirements under U.S. President Joe Biden and following the recent "ugly PJM auction" results. Report: AEP Companies' Coal Management Practices Led To Shortages At 3 The John Amos power plant in Putnam County. Maria Gunnoe, a West Virginia environmentalist and director of the Mother Jones Community Foundation, sees intensifying impact from global climate change on Appalachian communities.
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