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. 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. As POWER has reported, however, plant economics are a major factor in AEPs spate of recently announced closures. The. 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.. 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. Coal Slips Below 17 Percent Of Nation's Electric Power In First Quarter 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. "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. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. We have many factors to consider, Matheney said. Fossil fuel energy is still a mainstay in state. Amos Plant - Global Energy Monitor Power plant profile: John E Amos Power Plant, US - Power Technology This pond has been capped and was closed at the end of 2017. They generated the electricity for homes around the Ohio Valley. Choose wisely! , said. Chance of rain 70%. Such plants are becoming more scarce as the nation retires much of its coal fleet in a transition to other forms of electricity generation. . Be Nice. Commissioned in 1971, the plant has three coal-fired units. content In 2007 alone, AEP completed installation of advanced emissions control . Taking Amos and Mountaineer out of service would not be a simple step for AEP. The lower output means fewer workers, from the mines to the power plants. Appalachian Power is supposed to report the results of its study before the end of 2022. Former acting EPA general counsel Kevin Minoli calls West Virginia's Supreme Court challenge of EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions at power plants one of the most significant environmental cases in U.S. history. According to GlobalData, who tracks and profiles over 170,000 power plants worldwide, the project is currently active. Theyve towered over the regions communities for decades. The ceremony took place in front of a packed room at the John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County. Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch The John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County, W.Va., Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. esgSubNav, Discover more about S&P Globals offerings, Global Credit and Risk Symposium: Unlocking Possibilities, JW Marriott Sao Paulo Av. Report Predicts 3 Coal Plants Could Close Within 5 Years - WMKY DTE is currently planning on closing Monroe in 2040, but has said it will study an earlier retirement date as part of its long-term plan submitted to Michigan utility regulators. latest-news-headlines While large batteries are solving some of those issues, Miller said they might not be able to replace natural gas by themselves. 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. By, Instructions for Submitting an Event to WMKY, Contests, Giveaways, Lotteries and Raffles Policy, The West Virginia Public Service Commission, How South Africa nearly descended into civil war instead of a multi-racial democracy, Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr sues over her removal from House floor, The guy who ate a $120,000 banana in an art museum says he was just hungry, Arkansas woman pleads not guilty to selling over 20 boxes of stolen human body parts, A decoder that uses brain scans to know what you mean mostly, Latest on Ukraine: May Day's another war day as Russia strikes Ukrainian cities. The John Amos Power Plant, operated by American Electric Power, sits on 400 acres along the Kanawha River in Winfield, WVa. Become a member with your gift of $1,000 or more. Yet these power plants are vulnerable to the same economic forces that have swept through the industry nationwide in the past decade. 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. The regional grid operator must certify that enough power is available from other sources to meet all expected needs. A report by West Virginia Universitys Bureau of Business and Economic Research estimated the states power plants account for $4.8 billion in direct output, $725 million in wages and $97.3 million tax in revenue. Doing the work on their wastewater systems would delay the cost of retiring the plants and finding new sources of power to replace them. PDF CLOSURE PLAN - AEP.com Whether they close in 2028, 2040 or sometime between, the three plants will leave a void in the surrounding communities. 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. John E. Amos Power Plant is a three-unit coal-fired power plant owned and operated by Appalachian Power. Matt Bevin and former President Donald Trump. They plan on retiring another 25 gigawatts through 2025. 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. 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. West Virginia Coal Plants Need Upgrades. Three States Will Decide Their If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. CDL Truck Driver (Amos) - LinkedIn A carbon tax puts a price on climate-changing greenhouse emissions, encouraging a shift toward cleaner energy. Cheap, abundant natural gas has been eroding coals share of electric power generation for more than a decade. AEP subsidiary Kentucky Power converted the Big Sandy power plant near Louisa, Kentucky, from coal to gas a few years ago. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a $25 a ton carbon tax, indexed to inflation, could raise $1 trillion over a decade. The plant operates three landfills and six unlined surface impoundments that were commissioned in 1971. 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. The fate of the Mitchell, Mountaineer and Amos plants rests principally in the hands of the commissioners in West Virginia, who will decide whether the states utility customers will pay more to keep them operating into the next decade. PSC gives approval for upgrades at John Amos, Mountaineer - WCHS 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. After the closure, a series of channels drained the former pond site, connecting to an . "They want to make rules but they don't understand because they don't walk in those shoes," Mayor Summers said of EPA regulators. "The coal industry has always kept our people in the dark, and I don't look for it to change. The West Virginia Public Service Commission (WVPSC) on Aug. 4 ultimately approved cost recovery for both CCR and ELG investments at all three plantsAmos, Mountaineer, and Mitchell. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. - February 4, 2022. The 2,900-MW John E. Amos coal-fired power plant near Charleston, W.Va., has been producing power since the early 1970s. The coal it does not consume will not generate severance tax revenue for state and local government. Whats Your Heat Exchanger Maintenance IQ? A report by West Virginia Universitys Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. 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. 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. "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. Both have another 20 years of service, more or less. "The question is, what replaces coal generation?". Keena Mullins, co-founder of Revolt Energy, says solar power has a future in West Virginia if policymakers move to diversify the state's energy portfolio. AEP subsidiary Kentucky Power converted the Big Sandy power plant near Louisa, Kentucky, from coal to gas a few years ago. [2] 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. At Amos, Appalachian Power has proposed to modify the bottom ash handling system (to prevent discharge of bottom ash transfer water), as well as install two new ash bunkers. Theyre already old, the costs are going to continue to rise, clean energy is going to continue to decrease in prices. The Ohio Valley ReSource gets support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and our partner stations. AEP plans to close its 2,600-megawatt Rockport Plant in southern Indiana by 2028. However, James Martin, director of resource planning strategy, testified that if both the plants were to retire in 2028 in lieu of ELG compliance, customers could initially see savings but suffer the surge of customer costs through 2028 to 2039. Because the power generated by the plants supplies other states, AEP is seeking approval for the plan from the state public service commissions in Kentucky and Virginia. "We think market operators need to revisit payment mechanisms to ensure these dispatchable generators don't retire due to artificially driven economics," Bloodworth said. For more than four decades, the plant, now Appalachian. The other two would close in five years. 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. Three States Will Decide Their Fate. Wheeling Power and Kentucky Power each hold a 50% stake in the Mitchell Plant, which began operating in 1980. Logan County quartet selected for North-South All Star Basketball Classic, Former Herd star Gore hired at Western Carolina, Chapmanville baseball edges Charleston Catholic, 3-2, Scotty Browning inks with Georgetown College, Tigers, Wildcats' boys and girls tennis squads compete in Cardinal Conference tourney, Chapmanville picks up road win at Tug Valley, 10-5, Logan snaps top-ranked Chapmanville's 14-game winning streak, Cooper's no-hitter propels Man to 6-0 win in rematch against AA No. Rain ending early. . As of June 30, Appalachian Power estimated its total ELG investment c. ) balances at both plants amounted to $28 million. AEP installing scrubbers at John Amos Plant | Local News | register Those plants may not run until 2040, said Dori Jaffe, a managing attorney for the Sierra Club. Both were smaller, older plants that didnt produce enough power to justify the investment needed to meet modern environmental standards. The company sought recovery of an estimated $240 million investment to ensure both plants will be in compliance with both federal rules. Last year, AEP said it would shut down or refuel 5.6 GW of its 2020 coal-fired power fleet by 2030 to comply with environmental rulesincluding recent revisions to federal CCR and ELG rulesand rebalance its portfolio in a bid to meet ambitious climate goals. "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. Plant continues to churn out power | News | herald-dispatch.com "We are absolutely certain that there's going to be a considerable number of more retirements for this decade," Feaster said. Theyre 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.. Shutting down either plant would be hard on the economies of their local communities, not to mention the West Virginia coal industry in general. This power plant, where we are standing here today, isliving proof that energy belongs to all of us, regardless of party labels. All Rights Reserved. It has been developed in multiple phases. Security Officer (Full-time) (Current Employee) - Construction Gate for past 5 years. For bottom ash transport water, it revised the 2015 rules zero-discharge limitations. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch. "I think the days of coal being a primary generation source are over," Morningstar analyst Travis Miller said. The $317 million project would change the way the coal plants dispose of coal combustion residuals and wastewater from scrubbers that remove sulfur dioxide from plant emissions. In a statement to POWER this week, however, Appalachian Power said that a number of options still exist for the two plants, given that regulators in West Virginia recently approved cost recovery at CCR and ELG investments at both plants. 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.. Both states commissions will consider AEPs proposal later this month. 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. Closing the Mitchell plant in 2028 would save $118 million, it found. Chance of rain 90%. 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. If the commission denies the request to upgrade the three plants, they would close in 2028. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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). Still, power customers will have to pay those costs whenever the plants shut down. A couple of large coal-fired power plants in this area could be retired ahead of schedule. Editorial: WV about to lose another coal-fired power plant Six years later, many survivors remain unmoved by the growing threat of climate change and urgent calls to curb greenhouse gasses from burning coal. person will not be tolerated. 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. Electric utilities have already closed coal-fired power plants nationwide in favor of cheaper, abundant natural gas produced through hydraulic fracturing. At John Amos Power Plant, Manchin Vows to Oppose New - Senate Management has assessed technology additions and retrofits to comply with the rule and the impacts of the Federal EPAs recent actions on facilities wastewater discharge permitting for FGD wastewater and bottom ash transport water. Permit modifications for affected facilities were filed in January 2021 that reflect the outcome of that assessment, AEP said. S.C. man dies at John Amos Plant | News | herald-dispatch.com 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. We will take into consideration the three commission orders and the many impacts of all possible options. Under the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the first updates to, federal effluent limitation guidelines since 1982 in November 2015, setting stringent Best Available Technology (BAT) effluent limitations and pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES) as they apply to bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. Regulators Rattle AEP's Plans to Operate 4.2-GW of - POWER Magazine 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. John Amos Power Plant saves time, money in coal offload process The two plants represent around two-thirds of the subsidiarys generating fleet. The facility operates one surface . With new environmental rules looming this week, coal-driven power plants are closing all over the . 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. 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. 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. Moodys Investors Service forecast in 2019 that coal would be only 11% of electric power generation by 2030. "Our people want to have clean air. The model predicts one of Mitchells two units would close in two years, and the other in three. News & Technology for the Global Energy Industry. 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. As part of a deal to secure a rate increase in Virginia, Appalachian Power has agreed to examine what would happen if the John Amos Power Plant in Putnam County and the Mountaineer Power Plant in Mason County were taken out of service ahead of schedule. 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. West Virginia is challenging EPA efforts to blunt the impact of climate change. Holladay says his model is mostly accurate, though he noted that the model cant know every specific circumstance surrounding each plant. "For Amos and Mountaineer our analysis demonstrates complying with both the CCR and ELG rules and operating both plants through 2040 will be less costly for customers than the next best option,. But in its order on Monday, the SCC said Appalachian Power had failed to meet its burden of proving 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. Last week, they testified overwhelmingly in support of the plants in a public comment hearing. 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. 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. EPA to bring back mercury pollution rules that were nixed under - CNN
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