The examiner also recommended that if the Virginia SCC did not ultimately grant Appalachian Power approval of the ELG investments, the regulatory body should delay consideration of the reasonableness and prudency of previously incurred ELG costs until a future case.. In its written testimony, AEP says the upgrades are economically justified for the Amos and Mountaineer plants and close to neutral for the Mitchell Plant. Well 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.. Closing the Amos plant alone in 2028 could save $1.4 billion, the Sierra Clubs analysis found. 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. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) approved Appalachian Power Co. (APCo) and Wheeling Power Co.s (WPCos), Just two weeks after FirstEnergy Corp. said it would close more than 2 GW of six older coal-fired, American Electric Power, one of the premier generating utilities in the U.S., is caught between a deregulated rockwholesale, 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. Doing the work on their wastewater systems would delay the cost of retiring the plants and finding new sources of power to replace them. But I think everybody knows that those plants are closing at some point.. This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with an author about grief rituals, a podcaster about the religious music of snake handling churches, and we explore best practices to prepare for retirement. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch. "We can't continue to risk everything for energy, you know, I mean coal keeps the lights on, they say, but at what cost?". This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. In that report, the examiner recommended that the SCC should approve only recovery of CCR-related costs. 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. If the commission denies the request to upgrade the three plants, they would close in 2028. Both are owned. Become a member with your gift of $1,000 or more. AEP subsidiary Kentucky Power converted the Big Sandy power plant near Louisa, Kentucky, from coal to gas a few years ago. Sonal Patelis a POWER senior associate editor (@sonalcpatel,@POWERmagazine). Comprehensive energy legislation in North Carolina calls for Duke Energy to retire more than 5,000 MW of capacity at five coal-fired power plants by Dec. 31, 2030, with retirement and replacement plans subject to review by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. found several ash sites are leaking potentially hazardous chemicals into groundwater. 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. We find it is critically important to analyze the overall impact of this investment on both customer rates and reliability, and that [for this specific expense] the instant record is currently lacking in both regards, the SCC said in its order. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. person will not be tolerated. A report by West Virginia Universitys Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Still, power customers will have to pay those costs whenever the plants shut down. We told the Virginia SCC that making the environmental investments for both CCR and ELG compliance at Amos and Mountaineer plants is more beneficial for customers than making only the CCR compliance investments, retiring the plants in 2028, and finding replacement capacity, she said. With new environmental rules looming this week, coal-driven power plants are closing all over the . 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. But you have to go through the process the right way," Morrisey said. Jaffe, of the Sierra Club, said she expects that if Kentucky and Virginia deny AEPs request, the company would come back to the commission in West Virginia asking for another surcharge. Power plant profile: John E Amos Power Plant, US - Power Technology 2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved. Duke Energy will retire all of its power plants in the Carolinas that "rely exclusively on coal" or about 9,000 MW of capacity within the next ten years under the six scenarios outlined in its utilities' 2020 integrated resource plans. More coal-fired power plants face closure as the nation transitions to cleaner sources of energy. The company sought recovery of an estimated $240 million investment to ensure both plants will be in compliance with both federal rules. . Wheeling Power and Kentucky Powers plans regarding the Mitchell plant by submitting status reports every ten days. Regulators also required Kentucky Power to explain the impact of the conflicting ELG decisions by the West Virginia and Kentucky PSCs on AEPs strategic review of Kentucky Powers assets. And so its a tough spot if you own these utilities, he said, so I understand why theyre struggling to think about what their options are.. That fee would pay for wastewater treatment projects that are required to keep the plants in operation through 2040. Last week, they testified overwhelmingly in support of the plants in a public comment hearing. Amos Plant uses dry fly ash handling and no longer requires use of the fly ash pond. Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power, both subsidiaries of Ohio-based American Electric Power, have testified that upgrading the plants represents the best value for ratepayers. Fate Of West Virginia Coal Plants May Rest With Virginia Regulators 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. But one of the reports authors predicts they wont last to the end of this decade. The demand for electricity is flat, even factoring in the pandemic. Create a password that only you will remember. One megawatt is enough to power roughly 50,000 homes. We are required to have a certain level of capacityin other words, we must be ready to provide our customers a certain amount of power at any given time. The John Amos Plant has a nameplate rating of 2,933 MW, making it the largest generating plant in the AEP system. We'd love to hear eyewitness 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. Site of an ongoing $1 billion sulfur dioxide abatement project begun . 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. Neither is old for a coal-fired power plant, with Amos having begun service in 1971 and Mountaineer in 1980. For example, NRG Energy Inc. announced June 17 that it would retire about 1,600 MW of coal capacity in the PJM Interconnection following the results of the May capacity auction. The analyst said, "natural gas is the most obvious answer," but "each of the potential long-term solutions has its positive and negative issues." The Public Service Commission of West Virginia would have a say, and undoubtedly the governor and the Legislature would step in. Appalachian Power, the AEP subsidiary that owns the two plants, warned in its last 10-Q filing, dated July 22, that denial of ELG investment recovery could cause the company to close the generating facilities by 2028more than a decade earlier than their planned retirement in 2040. Such plants are becoming more scarce as the nation retires much of its coal fleet in a transition to other forms of electricity generation.Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. It's one of 174 coal-fired plants nationwide that could be impacted by the Supreme Court's decision. At John Amos Power Plant, Manchin Vows to Oppose New - Senate While AEP has made a major effort to pare down its reliance on coal powerkeeping with ambitions it announced in September 2019that it would seek to go net-zero by 2050as of June 30, the AEP system held 12.1 GW of coal-fired capacity, which is still nearly half its total capacity of 24.7 GW. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Thats seven years before the three West Virginia plants would close if utility customers pay for their upgrades. You have permission to edit this article. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. We are first in your inbox with the most important news in the industry ― keeping you smarter and one-step ahead in this ever-changing and competitive market. 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. 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. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), AEP subsidiaries Wheeling Power and Appalachian Power have asked. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. The West Virginia Public Service Commission must decide in the coming weeks whether to approve an environmental compliance surcharge on electricity customers. They're not very efficient at turning coal into power, Holladay said, and new, more efficient technologies coming down the grid and kind of eating their lunch.. The plant operates three landfills and six unlined surface impoundments that were commissioned in 1971. AEP plans to close its 2,600-megawatt Rockport Plant in southern Indiana by 2028. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. Plans include retrofitting economizer ash handling systems on Amos 1 and 2 and installing a new FGD biological treatment system with ultrafiltration. We find it is critically important to analyze the overall impact of this investment on both customer rates and reliability, and that [for this specific expense] the instant record is currently lacking in both regards, the SCC said in its order. Matt Bevin and former President Donald Trump. The John Amos power station in Putnam Co., WV. Editorial: Two power plants' future becomes uncertain CLENDENIN, West Virginia -- A historic flood from sudden torrential rain nearly wiped out entire towns in West Virginia's mountainous coal country, killing 23 and inflicting $1 billion in damage. Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch The John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County, W.Va., Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008. "Every time it rains and storms, I'm lying awake at night. The John Amos Power Plant, operated by American Electric Power, sits on 400 acres along the Kanawha River in Winfield, WVa. Similar projects are slated for the Mountaineer plant, including a modification of the bottom ash handling system, installation of a new ash bunker, and a retrofit of a new ultrafiltration system to the existing FGD treatment system. Report: AEP Companies' Coal Management Practices Led To Shortages At 3 PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. that the ELG investment is reasonable and prudent, including from an economic or a resource adequacy perspective. Still, the SCC allowed Appalachian Power to provide more analyses and evidence to support the ELG investment. "We are absolutely certain that there's going to be a considerable number of more retirements for this decade," Feaster said. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Shutting down either plant would be hard on the economies of their local communities, not to mention the West Virginia coal industry in general. 2 Logan, Walk-off hit by Brumfield sends No. Meanwhile, the cost of wind and solar energy has plummeted. 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. "I think we need coal until we have enough, you know, until they figure out an alternate source," said Ricky Brookover, a union boilermaker who works overnight installing upgrades at the Amos facility. Like, when you see the white smoke coming out of the stacks, it's clean.". Theyve towered over the regions communities for decades. "But step one is to plan the retirement for coal units.". Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Appalachian Power, the AEP subsidiary that owns the two plants. The demand for electricity is flat, even factoring in the pandemic. Utility giant Duke Energy Corp. is among the companies accelerating coal plant retirements to meet company and North Carolina emissions-reduction goals. Moodys Investors Service forecast in 2019 that coal would be only 11% of electric power generation by 2030. As both sides brace for a decision by the Supreme Court, environmental advocates say they fear for the worst. Slated retirements to cut US coal fleet to less than half 2015 capacity Amos Plant is making plans to close the bottom ash pond and move the material to a lined landfill. The rules require utility companies to perform the work or close the plants. State regulators are under pressure from lawmakers and coal industry supporters to prevent the plants from closing. On July 26, meanwhile, the Biden administration initiated a supplemental rulemaking to strengthen certain discharge limits in the ELG rule. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, "While the EPA does have a narrow array of authority to act in the area of carbon emissions, it's nowhere near what the Biden administration is suggesting," said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, who warns thousands of jobs, industry profits, state tax revenue, and a reliable source of electricity are on the line. For FGD wastewater, the 2020 rule established numeric BAT effluent limitations on mercury, arsenic, selenium, and nitrate/nitrite. We have many factors to consider, Matheney said. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. 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. "Coal and solar have to coexist here.". 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. Choose wisely! Request WVPB Education to attend or host an event! We need to keep that plant open, Del. Use the 'Report' link on 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. "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. [2] Other than in their local communities, the loss of Sporn and Kanawha River were barely noticed. When AEP has built new fossil fuel-powered plants in recent years, they have been gas burners. The region's recovery from the 2016 flood -- and continued reliance on the fossil fuel economy -- illustrate the dueling human and economic stakes in West Virginia's lawsuit against the EPA. That fee would pay for wastewater treatment projects that are required to keep the plants in operation through 2040. Appalachian Power said it could decide to close the John Amos and Mountaineer power plants in 2028 if the Virginia Corporation Commission denies its request to make upgrades to them. Sign up for regular updates from the Ohio Valley ReSource. Appalachian Power president says closing Mitchell plant would save Gov. Justice signs four coal-related bills at John Amos Power Plant in Taking Amos and Mountaineer out of service would not be a simple step for AEP. Be Proactive. Editorial: Two power plants' future becomes uncertain. With a carbon tax, the Sierra Club projects that utility customers could save $2.4 billion if Amos closed in 2028; $1.5 billion if Amos and Mountaineer closed and $350 million if Mitchell closed. AEP says the energy generated at the John Amos Plant is enough to. Last year, AEP shut down the Conesville Plant in Coshocton, in Eastern Ohio. Buy Now. 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 . The plants three units were completed between 1971 and 1973. AEPs decision to retrofit Amos and Mountaineer for ELG compliance builds on the 2020 rule, which establishes additional options for reusing and discharging small volumes of bottom ash transport water, provides an exception for retiring units and extends the compliance deadline to a date as soon as possible beginning one year after the rule was published but no later than December 2025, the company said in late July. In 2007 alone, AEP completed installation of advanced emissions control . Invalid password or account does not exist. They generated the electricity for homes around the Ohio Valley. Governor signs four coal industry bills Wednesday Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. File photo/HD Media They've towered over the region's communities for decades. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Roughly 90% of West Virginia's electricity is generated by burning coal, well above the national average of less than a quarter coal-powered energy, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With a nameplate rating of 2,933 MW, it is the largest utility in the AEP system. But in October 2020, the Trump administration issued a final rule revising the technology-based ELGs, extending timeframes, adding subcategories, and introducing a voluntary incentive program. 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. A carbon tax puts a price on climate-changing greenhouse emissions, encouraging a shift toward cleaner energy. John Amos Plant - AEP Create a password that only you will remember. Fossil fuel energy is still a mainstay in state. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia would have a say, and undoubtedly the governor and the Legislature would step in. While the extreme flood that submerged Clendenin was exceptional, government and academic climatologists warn that the threat of extreme rain events is growing across West Virginia, which already ranks third in the country in flooding disasters over the last 70 years. For example, solar and wind generation can be cost-effective and popular, but they also come with intermittency issues related to sun and wind resource availability. We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen! Appalachian Power is a subsidiary of American Electric Power, which is based in Columbus, Ohio. "Keeping coal in the mix supports grid reliability and resilience, helps keep electricity prices affordable, provides fuel security and serves as an insurance policy when other electricity sources are not available or are too expensive.". Wheeling Power and Kentucky Power each hold a 50% stake in the Mitchell Plant, which began operating in 1980. We are required to have a certain level of capacityin other words, we must be ready to provide our customers a certain amount of power at any given time. Both are owned and operated by Appalachian Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, and both burn coal to generate electricity. Share with Us. The two plants represent around two-thirds of the subsidiarys generating fleet. Aerial image of the Mitchell plant with groundwater testing results near ash waste. However, theres no guarantee all three plants would continue operating another 12 years or beyond that if the commission approves the request. Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence You have permission to edit this article. The John E. Amos coal-fired power plant in Poca, West Virginia. power station. It predicts Mountaineers single unit would shut down in three years. Even the coal-friendly West Virginia legislature approved two bills in the past two sessions to encourage the development of solar power in the state. West Virginia Coal Plants Need Upgrades. Three States Will Decide Their Cloudy with showers. Taking Amos and Mountaineer out of service would not be a simple step for AEP. September 21, 2020 - 12:45 am The largest electric utility in West Virginia has entered into an agreement with an environmental group that coal industry officials fear could lead to the shutdown of. Chance of rain 70%. Keep it Clean. Natural gas toppled coal as the nations top electricity source about five years ago, and renewables have caught up. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. In the mid-2000s, EPA regulations forced many U.S. power plants to invest in upgrading smokestacks with scrubbers that remove nearly all sulfur dioxide -- a pollutant that can harm human health and contribute to acid rain. Closing the Amos plant alone in 2028 could save $1.4 billion, the Sierra Clubs analysis found. PSC Makes Right Decision on Coal-Fired Power Plants And while that order would have meant Mitchell will need to cease operations in 2028, the, The Kentucky PSCs new order, notably, directs Kentucky Power to explain. Security Officer (Full-time) (Current Employee) - Construction Gate for past 5 years. A report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that the John Amos, Mountaineer and Mitchell plants will no longer be economical to operate in five years. Both have another 20 years of service, more or less. 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. Carbon Capture The big game changer, however, could be a tax on carbon. 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. The plants are aging. Amos and Mountaineer are valuable to customers as capacity resources,, Appalachian Power spokesperson Jeri Matheney explained to. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a $25 a ton carbon tax, indexed to inflation, could raise $1 trillion over a decade. Depending on post working, duties vary slightly. The 1,300-MW Mountaineer Power Plant outside New Haven in Mason County, West Virginia, was completed in 1980. From that year through 2020, power companies retired 95 gigawatts of that power, nearly a third. John E. Amos Power Plant - Wikipedia Zimmer coal-fired plant in Ohio on May 31, 2022, five years ahead of a previous retirement schedule. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. "It has incredible potential to affect how EPA and other agencies write regulations for years to come," Kevin Minoli, a former EPA acting general counsel and career civil servant, said of the case. The plant employs around 300 people with . However, without the John Amos Power Plant generating 2,900 megawatts of electricity, life's simplest tasks would be much harder. Recent months have seen a fresh round of new and accelerated retirement announcements driven by utilities adopting new climate policies and goals, said Seth Feaster, a data analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Editorial: Two power plants' future becomes uncertain Threats of harming another Three States Will Decide Their Fate. latest-news-headlines We strive to take advantage of opportunities to beneficially reuse as much CCR material as possible. Coal's share of electrical power generation in the state declined from nearly half in 2010 to 10% last year, with operators taking advantage of a statewide boom in natural gas drilling in the . Be Truthful. . Market Intelligence The rules require power plants to reduce. Appalachian Power spokesperson Matheney on Wednesday reiterated this point, underscoring the tight timeframe in which new replacement capacity will be needed if Amos and Mountaineer were retried earlier than planned. They are also the front line in a landmark environmental case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide this spring how much authority the Environmental Protection Agency has to regulate earth-warming emissions from coal-fired power plants. Sponsor impactful and engaging media and entertainment. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. The company sought recovery of an estimated $240 million investment to ensure both plants will be in compliance with both federal rules. Electric utilities have already closed coal-fired power plants nationwide in favor of cheaper, abundant natural gas produced through hydraulic fracturing. "I grew up in coal country. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. John E. Amos Power Plantis a three-unit coal-fired power plant owned and operated by Appalachian Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power(AEP). Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. According to direct testimony submitted to the SCC earlier this year by. They also support, directly and indirectly, 6,600 jobs. After negotiating various components of the request, the two parties decided that Appalachian Power would study what would happen if the two plants were retired and the company replaced their output with other sources. All Rights Reserved. Workers at Appalachian Power's John E. Amos Power Plant near Winfield have found a . Home Report Predicts 3 Coal Plants Could Close Within 5 Years. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Ohio-based AEP has one other plant among the top 10, the John Amos Plant in West Virginia, which has a generation cost of $39 per megawatt-hour. The Ohio Valley ReSource gets support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and our partner stations.
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