Environmental regulations drive closure of FirstEnergy coal plants
By October 9, 2013, FirstEnergy Corp. will deactivate two coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania due to the cost of compliance with current and future environmental regulations in conjunction with the continued low market price for electricity. About 380 employees are expected to be affected.
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Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Alexandrowicz, John L., Photographer (NARA record: 8452213) |
The plants -- Hatfield's Ferry Power Station in Masontown, Pa. and Mitchell Power Station in Courtney, Pa. -- represent approximately 10 percent of the company's total generating capacity with a total capacity of 2,080 MW. This represents about 30 percent of the estimated $925 million cost to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS).
At the Mitchell plant alone sulfur dioxide pollution rates have nearly doubled in the past three years and superheated water discharges have contaminated the adjacent Monongahela River, according to the Sierra Club. The plant has a long history of violations for improper coal ash handling, the group adds.
"We hope [this] announcement signals a shift for FirstEnergy away from the dirty coal of the past and toward a clean, renewable energy future focused on new jobs in the wind, solar and energy efficiency industries in Pennsylvania," said Tom Schuster, Pennsylvania Beyond Coal campaign representative, the Sierra Club.
The company expects to invest approximately $650 million in MATS-related control technology to enhance or modify existing air quality equipment or install new equipment on its remaining facilities. Following these upgrades, FirstEnergy expects to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides by 84 percent, sulfur dioxide by 95 percent and mercury by 91 percent below 1990 levels, and carbon dioxide emissions 20 to 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
After the deactivations, FirstEnergy's fleet will be comprised of 56 percent coal, 22 percent nuclear, 13 percent renewables and 9 percent gas/oil, and will have a generating capacity of more than 18,000 MW.
FirstEnergy announced last year that nine plants would be deactivated. With the addition of these two plants, nearly 100 percent of the power generated by FirstEnergy will come from resources that are either non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units.
The plant deactivations are subject to review for reliability impacts by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission operator that controls the area where they are located.
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