Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co. (NYSE:
SO), announced plans to retire coal-fired generating
Units 1 & 2 at the Plant Smith power plant by March 31,
2016.
The company said it was in their customers’ best interest to
retire the units, located near Panama City, Florida, after
stricter regulations were imposed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
The facility will continue to operate and produce
electricity with its state-of-the-art combined-cycle natural
gas-fired unit, which went into service in 2002.
The utility will still be able to supply power to its
customers through its sister companies Georgia Power,
Mississippi Power and Alabama Power. Additionally, Gulf
Power will utilize
Plant Crist, a coal-fired facility, which added a $650
million scrubber in 2009.
Plant Smith's units have operated since the mid-60s and can
produce a total of 375-MW.
Employees will be transitioned to other jobs within the company.
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